Methods for degrading lignocellulosic materials

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to methods for degrading a lignocellulosic material, comprising: treating the lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, tridecyl ethoxylate, and polyoxyethylene ether, wherein the presence of the surfactant increases the degradation of lignocellulosic material compared to the absence of the surfactant. The present invention also relates to methods for producing an organic substance, comprising: (a) saccharifying a lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, tridecyl ethoxylate, and polyoxyethylene ether, wherein the presence of the surfactant increases the degradation of lignocellulosic material compared to the absence of the surfactant; (b) fermenting the saccharified lignocellulosic material of step (a) with one or more fermentating microoganisms; and (c) recovering the organic substance from the fermentation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/537,452, filed Jan. 16, 2004, which application is incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

This invention was made with Government support under NREL Subcontract No. ZCO-30017-02, Prime Contract DE-AC36-98GO10337 awarded by the Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to methods for degrading lignocellulosic materials.

2. Description of the Related Art

The majority of carbohydrates in plants are in the form of lignocellulose, which is composed of mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin. Lignocellulose is found, for example, in the stems, leaves, hulls, husks, and cobs of plants. Hydrolysis of these polymers releases a mixture of neutral sugars including glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, and arabinose.

Cellulose is a polymer of the simple sugar glucose covalently bonded by beta-1,4-linkages. Many microorganisms produce enzymes that hydrolyze beta-linked glucans. These enzymes include endoglucanases, cellobiohydrolases, glucohydrolases and beta-glucosidases. Endoglucanases digest the cellulose polymer at random locations, opening it to attack by cellobiohydrolases. Glucohydrolases liberate molecules of glucose from the ends of the cellulose polymer. Cellobiohydrolases sequentially release molecules of cellobiose from the ends of the cellulose polymer. Cellobiose is a water-soluble beta-1,4-linked dimer of glucose. Beta-glucosidases hydrolyze cellobiose to glucose.

Hemicelluloses are short branched chain heteropolysaccharides that are composed of various hexoses (glucose, mannose and galactose), pentoses (D-xylose and L-arabinose), uronic acids, acetic acid, and other minor sugars. Similar to cellulose degradation, hemicellulose hydrolysis requires coordinated action of many enzymes, which can be placed into three general categories, the endo-acting enzymes that attack internal bonds within the polysaccharide chain, the exo-acting enzymes that act processively from either the reducing or nonreducing end of the polysaccharide chain, and the accessory enzymes (acetylesterases and esterases that hydrolyze lignin glycoside bonds).

Lignocellulosic materials, such as wood, herbaceous material, agricultural residues, corn fiber, waste paper, pulp and paper mill residues can be used to produce ethanol. No known natural organism can rapidly and efficiently metabolize all carbohydrate polymers in lignocellulosic biomass into ethanol. The conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks into ethanol has the advantages of the ready availability of large amounts of feedstock, the desirability of avoiding burning or land filling the materials, and the cleanliness of the ethanol fuel. Once the cellulose is converted to glucose, the glucose is easily fermented by yeast into ethanol.

However, an obstacle to commercialization is the cost of enzymes to convert the lignocellulosic material to glucose and other fermentable sugars. There is a need in the art to improve the ability of cellulolytic enzymes to degrade lignocellulosic materials to useful organic products or to intermediates to useful end-products.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the ability of cellulolytic enzymes to degrade lignocellulosic materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for degrading a lignocellulosic material, comprising: treating the lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, tridecyl ethoxylate, and polyoxyethylene ether, wherein the presence of the surfactant increases the degradation of lignocellulosic material compared to the absence of the surfactant.

The present invention also relates to methods for producing an organic substance, comprising:

(a) saccharifying a lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, tridecyl ethoxylate, and polyoxyethylene ether, wherein the presence of the surfactant increases the degradation of lignocellulosic material compared to the absence of the surfactant;

(b) fermenting the saccharified lignocellulosic material of step (a) with one or more fermenting microoganisms; and

(c) recovering the organic substance from the fermentation.

In a preferred embodiment, the organic substance is alcohol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a restriction map of pAlLo1.

FIG. 2 shows a restriction map of pMJ04.

FIG. 3 shows a restriction map of pCaHj527.

FIG. 4 shows a restriction map of pMT2188.

FIG. 5 shows a restriction map of pCaHj568.

FIG. 6 shows a restriction map of pMJ05.

FIG. 7 shows the DNA sequence (SEQ ID NO: 26) and deduced amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 27) of the secretion signal sequence of an Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase.

FIG. 8 shows the DNA sequence (SEQ ID NO: 30) and deduced amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 31) of the secretion signal sequence of a Humicola insolens endoglucanase V.

FIG. 9 shows a restriction map of pSMai135.

FIGS. 10A and 10B shows the genomic DNA sequence and the deduced amino acid sequence of an Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase (SEQ ID NOS: 36 and 37, respectively). The predicted signal peptide is underlined and predicted introns are italicized.

FIG. 11 shows a restriction map of pBANe10.

FIG. 12 shows a restriction map of pAlLo2.

FIG. 13 shows a restriction map of pEJG97.

FIG. 14 shows a restriction map of pMJ06.

FIG. 15 shows a restriction map of pMJ09.

FIG. 16 shows a restriction map of pJZHEG1.

FIG. 17 shows the effect of Softanol® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS) on hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L at 50° C.

FIG. 18 shows the effect of Lutensol® AT80 (0.1 ml/g PCS) on hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L at 50° C.

FIG. 19 shows the effect of Softanol® 90 (0.2 ml/g PCS) on hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L at 50° C.

FIG. 20 shows the effect of Softanol® 90 (0.2 ml/g PCS) on hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L at 55° C.

FIG. 21 shows the Softanol® 90 dose dependence for hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L (2 mg/g PCS) at 50° C.

FIG. 22 shows the effect of different Softanol® products on hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L (2 mg/g PCS) at 50° C.

FIG. 23 shows the effect of Softanol□ 90 (0.2 ml/g PCS) on hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L (2 mg/g PCS) supplemented with Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (0.06 mg/g PCS) and cell-free broth of Trichoderma reesei expressing Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (2 mg/g PCS) at 50° C.

FIG. 24 shows the effect of Softanol® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS) on 24 hour conversion of ethanol washed/milled PCS (1%) by purified Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase 1 (2-10 mg/g PCS) at 40-65° C.

FIG. 25 shows the effect of Softanol® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS) on 24 hour conversion of ethanol washed/milled PCS (1%) by purified Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase 1 (2-10 mg/g PCS) supplemented with 5% Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase (0.1-0.5 mg/g PCS) at 40-65° C.

FIG. 26 shows the effect of Softanol® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS) on 24 hour conversion of ethanol washed/milled PCS (1%) by purified Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase 1 (2-20 mg/g PCS) supplemented with 20% Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase 1 (0.4-4 mg/g PCS) and 5% Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase (0.1-1 mg/g PCS) at 40-65° C.

FIG. 27 shows the effect of Softanol® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS) on 24 hour conversion of ethanol washed/milled PCS (1%) by purified Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase 1 (2-20 mg/g PCS) supplemented with 20% Acidothermus cellulolyticus E1cd (0.4-4 mg/g PCS) and 5% Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase (0.1-1 mg/g PCS) at 40-65° C.

FIG. 28 shows the effect of Softanol® (0.05-0.2 ml/g cellulose) on hydrolysis of Avicel (1%) by Celluclast 1.5 L (1.25-20 mg/cellulose) at 50° C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for degrading a lignocellulosic material, comprising: treating the lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, tridecyl ethoxylate, and polyoxyethylene ether, wherein the presence of the surfactant increases the degradation of lignocellulosic material compared to the absence of the surfactant.

Lignocellulosic Material

In the methods of the present invention, the lignocellulosic material can be any material containing lignocellulose. Lignocellulose is generally found, for example, in the stems, leaves, hulls, husks, and cobs of plants or leaves, branches, and wood of trees. The lignocellulosic material can also be, but is not limited to, herbaceous material, agricultural residues, forestry residues, municipal solid wastes, waste paper, and pulp and paper mill residues.

In a preferred embodiment, the lignocellulosic material is corn stover. In another preferred embodiment, the lignocellulosic material is corn fiber. In another preferred embodiment, the lignocellulosic material is rice straw. In another preferred embodiment, the lignocellulosic material is paper and pulp processing waste. In another preferred embodiment, the lignocellulosic material is woody or herbaceous plants.

The lignocellulosic material may be used as is or may be subjected to a pretreatment using conventional methods known in the art. For example, physical pretreatment techniques can include various types of milling, irradiation, steaming/steam explosion, and hydrothermolysis; chemical pretreatment techniques can include dilute acid, alkaline, organic solvent, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and pH-controlled hydrothermolysis; and biological pretreatment techniques can involve applying lignin-solubilizing microorganisms (see, for example, Hsu, T.-A., 1996, Pretreatment of biomass, in Handbook on Bioethanol: Production and Utilization, Wyman, C. E., ed., Taylor & Francis, Washington, D.C., 179-212; Ghosh, P., Singh, A., 1993, Physicochemical and biological treatments for enzymatic/microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass, Adv. Appl. Microbiol., 39: 295-333; McMillan, J. D., 1994, Pretreating lignocellulosic biomass: a review, in Enzymatic Conversion of Biomass for Fuels Production, Himmel, M. E., Baker, J. O., and Overend, R. P., eds., ACS Symposium Series 566, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., chapter 15; Gong, C. S., Cao, N. J., Du, J., and Tsao, G. T., 1999, Ethanol production from renewable resources, in Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology, Scheper, T., ed., Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, Germany, 65: 207-241; Olsson, L., and Hahn-Hagerdal, B., 1996, Fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates for ethanol production, Enz. Microb. Tech, 18: 312-331; and Vallander, L., and Eriksson, K.-E. L., 1990, Production of ethanol from lignocellulosic materials: State of the art, Adv. Biochem. Eng./Biotechnol., 42: 63-95).

Surfactants

In the methods of the present invention, the surfactant may be any surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, tridecyl ethoxylate, and polyoxyethylene ether. The surfactant is added exogenously.

In a preferred embodiment, the surfactant is a secondary alcohol ethoxylate.

In another preferred embodiment, the surfactant is a fatty alcohol ethoxylate.

In another preferred embodiment, the surfactant is a nonylphenol ethoxylate.

In another preferred embodiment, the surfactant is a tridecyl ethoxylate.

In another preferred embodiment, the surfactant is a polyoxyethylene ether.

A secondary alcohol ethoxylate surfactant has the formula C₁₁₋₁₅H₂₃₋₃₁O(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)H, wherein x is the degree of ethoxylation. The degree of ethoxylation can be from at least 3 to at least 50. In a preferred embodiment, the secondary alcohol ethoxylate is alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanol 50 (x=5). In another preferred embodiment, the secondary alcohol ethoxylate is alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanol 90 (x=9). In another preferred embodiment, the secondary alcohol ethoxylate is alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanol 120 (x=12). In another preferred embodiment, the secondary alcohol ethoxylate is alkyloxypolyethyleneoxyethanol 200 (x=20). Examples of commercially available secondary alcohol ethoxylate surfactants include, but are not limited to, SOFTANOL™ 50, SOFTANOL™ 90, SOFTANOL™ 120, and SOFTANOL™ 200, obtainable from INEOS Oxide, Zwijndrecht, Belgium.

A fatty alcohol ethoxylate has the formula C₁₆₋₁₈H₃₃₋₃₇O(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)H, wherein x is the degree of ethoxylation. The degree of ethoxylation can be from at least 11 to at least 80. Examples of commercially available fatty alcohol ethoxylate surfactants include, but are not limited to, Lutensol AT50 (x=50) and Lutensol AT80 (x=80), obtainable from BASF Corp., Mount Olive, N.J., USA.

A nonylphenol ethoxylate has the formula C₉H₁₉C₆H₄(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)OH, wherein x is the degree of ethoxylation. The degree of ethoxylation can be from at least 4 to at least 70. Examples of commercially available nonylphenol ethoxylate surfactants include, but are not limited to, Tergitol NP-9 (x=9.3), obtainable from the Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., USA.

A tridecyl ethoxylate has the formula C₁₃₋₁₅H₂₇₋₃₁O(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)H, wherein x is the degree of ethoxylation. The degree of ethoxylation can be from at least 2 to at least 50. Examples of commercially available tridecyl ethoxylate surfactants include, but are not limited to, Novell II TDA-6.6 (x=6.6) and Novell II TDA-8.5 (x=8.5), obtainable from Sasol, Houston, Tex.

A polyoxyethylene ether has the formula C₁₂₋₁₈H₂₅₋₃₇(CH₂CH₂O)_(x)OCH₂CHO, wherein x is the degree of ethoxylation. The degree of ethoxylation can be from at least 10 to at least 23. Examples of commercially available polyoxyethylene ether surfactants include, but are not limited to, Brij 35 (x=23), Brij 56 (x=10), Brij 97 (x=10), and Brij 98 (x=20), obtainable from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Loius, Mo.

A summary of the above-noted surfactants is shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 CP, EO Surfactant Chemistry Supplier MW ° C. HLB Mole # Appearance Softanol 50 Secondary AE Honeywell & 420 <0 10.5 5 Liquid C₁₁₋₁₅H₂₃₋₃₁O(EO)₅H Stein/INEO S Oxide Sofftanol 90 Secondary AE Honeywell & 600 56 13.3 9 Liquid C₁₁₋₁₅H₂₃₋₃₁O(EO)₉H Stein/INEO S Oxide Softanol 120 Secondary AE Honeywell & 730 83 14.5 12 Wax C₁₁₋₁₅H₂₃₋₃₁O(EO)₁₂H Stein/INEO (Liquid @ S Oxide 30° C.) Softanol 200 Secondary AE Honeywell & 1080  NA 20 Solid C₁₁₋₁₅H₂₃₋₃₁O(EO)₂₀H Stein/INEO S Oxide Lutensol AT50 Fatty AE BASF 92 50 Solid C₁₆₋₁₈H₃₃₋₃₇O(EO)₅₀H Lutensol AT80 Fatty AE BASF 80 Solid C₁₆₋₁₈H₃₃₋₃₇O(EO)₈₀H Tergitol NP-9 Nonylphenol Dow 53 13 9.3 Liquid Ethoxylate Chemical C₉H₁₉C₆H₄(EO)_(9.3)OH Company Novell II TDA- Tridecyl AE Sasol North 25 11.8 6.7 Liquid 6.6 C₁₃₋₁₅H₂₇₋₃₁O(EO)_(6.6)H America Novell II TDA- Tridecyl AE Sasol North 54 13 8.7 Liquid 8.5 C₁₃₋₁₅H₂₇₋₃₁O(EO)_(8.5)H America Brij 35 Polyoxyethylene 23 ICI Liquid Lauryl Ether Americas/ Sigma Brij 56 Polyoxyethylene 10 ICI Wax Cetyl Ether Americas/ Sigma Brij 97 Polyoxyethylene 10 ICI Wax Oleyl Ether Americas/ Sigma Brij 98 Polyoxyethylene 20 ICI Wax Oleyl Ether Americas/ Sigma AE—alcohol ethoxylate, EO—ethylene oxide (CH₂CH₂O), PO—propylene oxide (CH₂CHCH₃O), CP—cloud point, HLB—hydrophilic/lipophilic balance Cellulolytic Enzymes

In the methods of the present invention, the cellulolytic enzyme may any enzyme involved in the degradation of lignocellulose to glucose, xylose, mannose, galactose, and arabinose. The cellulolytic enzyme may be a multicomponent enzyme preparation, e.g., cellulase, a monocomponent enzyme preparation, e.g., endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, glucohydrolase, beta-glucosidase, or a combination of multicomponent and monocomponent enzymes. The cellulolytic enzymes may have activity, i.e., hydrolyze cellulose, either in the acid, neutral, or alkaline pH-range.

The cellulolytic enzyme may be of fungal or bacterial origin, which may be obtainable or isolated and purified from microorganisms which are known to be capable of producing cellulolytic enzymes, e.g., species of Humicola, Coprinus, Thielavia, Fusarium, Myceliophthora, Acremonium, Cephalosporium, Scytalidium, Penicillium or Aspergillus (see, for example, EP 458162), especially those produced by a strain selected from the species Humicola insolens (reclassified as Scytalidium thermophilum, see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,307), Coprinus cinereus, Fusarium oxysporum, Myceliophthora thermophila, Meripilus giganteus, Thielavia terrestris, Acremonium sp., Acremonium persicinum, Acremonium acremonium, Acremonium brachypenium, Acremonium dichromosporum, Acremonium obclavatum, Acremonium pinkertoniae, Acremonium roseogriseum, Acremonium incoloratum, and Acremonium furatum; preferably from the species Humicola insolens DSM 1800, Fusarium oxysporum DSM 2672, Myceliophthora thermophila CBS 117.65, Cephalosporium sp. RYM-202, Acremonium sp. CBS 478.94, Acremonium sp. CBS 265.95, Acremonium persicinum CBS 169.65, Acremonium acremonium AHU 9519, Cephalosporium sp. CBS 535.71, Acremonium brachypenium CBS 866.73, Acremonium dichromosporum CBS 683.73, Acremonium obclavatum CBS 311.74, Acremonium pinkertoniae CBS 157.70, Acremonium roseogriseum CBS 134.56, Acremonium incoloratum CBS 146.62, and Acremonium furatum CBS 299.70H. Cellulolytic enzymes may also be obtained from Trichoderma (particularly Trichoderma viride, Trichoderma reesei, and Trichoderma koningii), alkalophilic Bacillus (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,890 and EP 458162), and Streptomyces (see, for example, EP 458162).

The cellulolytic enzymes used in the methods of the present invention may be produced by fermentation of the above-noted microbial strains on a nutrient medium containing suitable carbon and nitrogen sources and inorganic salts, using procedures known in the art (see, e.g., Bennett, J. W. and LaSure, L. (eds.), More Gene Manipulations in Fungi, Academic Press, CA, 1991). Suitable media are available from commercial suppliers or may be prepared according to published compositions (e.g., in catalogues of the American Type Culture Collection). Temperature ranges and other conditions suitable for growth and cellulase production are known in the art (see, e.g., Bailey, J. E., and Ollis, D. F., Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill Book Company, NY, 1986).

The fermentation can be any method of cultivation of a cell resulting in the expression or isolation of a cellulolytic enzyme. Fermentation may, therefore, be understood as comprising shake flask cultivation, small- or large-scale fermentation (including continuous, batch, fed-batch, or solid state fermentations) in laboratory or industrial fermenters performed in a suitable medium and under conditions allowing the cellulase to be expressed or isolated.

The resulting cellulolytic enzymes produced by the methods described above may be recovered from the fermentation medium by conventional procedures including, but not limited to, centrifugation, filtration, spray-drying, evaporation, or precipitation. The recovered enzyme may then be further purified by a variety of chromatographic procedures, e.g., ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, affinity chromatography, or the like.

Cellulase hydrolyzes carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), thereby decreasing the viscosity of the incubation mixture. The resulting reduction in viscosity may be determined by a vibration viscosimeter (e.g., MIVI 3000 from Sofraser, France). Determination of cellulase activity, measured in terms of Cellulase Viscosity Unit (CEVU), quantifies the amount of catalytic activity present in a sample by measuring the ability of the sample to reduce the viscosity of a solution of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The assay is carried out at 40° C. in 0.1 M phosphate pH 9.0 buffer for 30 minutes with CMC as substrate (33.3 g/L carboxymethyl cellulose Hercules 7 LFD) and an enzyme concentration of approximately 3.3-4.2 CEVU/ml. The CEVU activity is calculated relative to a declared enzyme standard, such as Celluzyme™ Standard 17-1194 (obtained from Novozymes A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark).

Examples of cellulases suitable for use in the present invention include, for example, CELLUCLAST™ (available from Novozymes A/S) and NOVOZYM™ 188 (available from Novozymes A/S). Other commercially available preparations comprising cellulase which may be used include CELLUZYME™, CEREFLO™ and ULTRAFLO™ (Novozymes A/S), LAMINEX™ and SPEZYME™ CP (Genencor Int.), and ROHAMENT™ 7069 W (Röhm GmbH). The cellulase enzymes are added in amounts effective from about 0.001% to about 5.0% wt. of solids, more preferably from about 0.025% to about 4.0% wt. of solids, and most preferably from about 0.005% to about 2.0% wt. of solids.

As mentioned above, the cellulolytic enzymes used in the methods of the present invention may be monocomponent preparations, i.e., a component essentially free of other cellulase components. The single component may be a recombinant component, i.e., produced by cloning of a DNA sequence encoding the single component and subsequent cell transformed with the DNA sequence and expressed in a host (see, for example, WO 91/17243 and WO 91/17244). Other examples of monocomponent cellulolytic enzymes include, but are not limited to, those disclosed in JP-07203960-A and WO-9206209. The host is preferably a heterologous host (enzyme is foreign to host), but the host may under certain conditions also be a homologous host (enzyme is native to host). Monocomponent cellulolytic enzymes may also be prepared by purifying such an enzyme from a fermentation medium.

Examples of monocomponent cellulolytic enzymes useful in practicing the methods of the present invention include, but are not limited to, endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, glucohydrolase, and beta-glucosidase.

The term “endoglucanase” is defined herein as an endo-1,4-(1,3;1,4)-beta-D-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase (E.C. No. 3.2.1.4), which catalyses endohydrolysis of 1,4-beta-D-glycosidic linkages in cellulose, cellulose derivatives (such as carboxymethyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose), lichenin, beta-1,4 bonds in mixed beta-1,3 glucans such as cereal beta-D-glucans or xyloglucans, and other plant material containing cellulosic components. For purposes of the present invention, endoglucanase activity is determined using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrolysis according to the procedure of Ghose, 1987, Pure and Appl. Chem. 59: 257-268.

The exo-1,4-beta-D-glucanases include both cellobiohydrolases and glucohydrolases.

The term “cellobiohydrolase” is defined herein as a 1,4-beta-D-glucan cellobiohydrolase (E.C. 3.2.1.91), which catalyzes the hydrolysis of 1,4-beta-D-glucosidic linkages in cellulose, cellooligosaccharides, or any beta-1,4-linked glucose containing polymer, releasing cellobiose from the reducing or non-reducing ends of the chain. For purposes of the present invention, cellobiohydrolase activity is determined according to the procedures described by Lever et al., 1972, Anal. Biochem. 47: 273-279 and by van Tilbeurgh et al., 1982, FEBS Letters, 149: 152-156; van Tilbeurgh and Claeyssens, 1985, FEBS Letters, 187: 283-288. In the present invention, the Lever et al. method was employed to assess hydrolysis of cellulose in corn stover, while the method of van Tilbeurgh et al. was used to determine the cellobiohydrolase activity on a fluorescent disaccharide derivative.

The term “glucohydrolase” is defined herein as a 1,4-beta-D-glucan glucohydrolase (E.C. 3.2.1.74), which catalyzes the hydrolysis of 1,4-linkages (O-glycosyl bonds) in 1,4-beta-D-glucans so as to remove successive glucose units. For purposes of the present invention, exoglucanase activity is determined according to the procedure described by Himmel et al., 1986, J. Biol. Chem. 261: 12948-12955.

The term “beta-glucosidase” is defined herein as a beta-D-glucoside glucohydrolase (E.C. 3.2.1.21), which catalyzes the hydrolysis of terminal non-reducing beta-D-glucose residues with the release of beta-D-glucose. For purposes of the present invention, beta-glucosidase activity is determined according to the basic procedure described by Venturi et al., 2002, J. Basic Microbiol. 42: 55-66, except different conditions were employed as described herein. One unit of beta-glucosidase activity is defined as 1.0 μmole of p-nitrophenol produced per minute at 50° C., pH 5 from 4 mM p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside as substrate in 100 mM sodium citrate, 0.01% Tween-20.

Processing of Lignocellulosic Materials

The methods of the present invention may be used to process a lignocellulosic material to many useful organic products, chemicals and fuels. In addition to ethanol, some commodity and specialty chemicals that can be produced from lignocellulose include xylose, acetone, acetate, glycine, lysine, organic acids (e.g., lactic acid), 1,3-propanediol, butanediol, glycerol, ethylene glycol, furfural, polyhydroxyalkanoates, cis, cis-muconic acid, and animal feed (Lynd, L. R., Wyman, C. E., and Gerngross, T. U., 1999, Biocommodity engineering, Biotechnol. Prog., 15: 777-793; Philippidis, G. P., 1996, Cellulose bioconversion technology, in Handbook on Bioethanol: Production and Utilization, Wyman, C. E., ed., Taylor & Francis, Washington, D.C., 179-212; and Ryu, D. D. Y., and Mandels, M., 1980, Cellulases: biosynthesis and applications, Enz. Microb. Technol., 2: 91-102). Potential coproduction benefits extend beyond the synthesis of multiple organic products from fermentable carbohydrate. Lignin-rich residues remaining after biological processing can be converted to lignin-derived chemicals, or used for power production.

Conventional methods used to process the lignocellulosic material in accordance with the methods of the present invention are well understood to those skilled in the art. The methods of the present invention may be implemented using any conventional biomass processing apparatus configured to operate in accordance with the invention.

Such an apparatus may include a batch-stirred reactor, a continuous flow stirred reactor with ultrafiltration, a continuous plug-flow column reactor (Gusakov, A. V., and Sinitsyn, A. P., 1985, Kinetics of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose: 1. A mathematical model for a batch reactor process, Enz. Microb. Technol., 7: 346-352), an attrition reactor (Ryu, S. K., and Lee, J. M., 1983, Bioconversion of waste cellulose by using an attrition bioreactor, Biotechnol. Bioeng., 25: 53-65), or a reactor with intensive stirring induced by an electromagnetic field (Gusakov, A. V., Sinitsyn, A. P., Davydkin, I. Y., Davydkin, V. Y., Protas, O. V., 1996, Enhancement of enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis using a novel type of bioreactor with intensive stirring induced by electromagnetic field, Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol., 56: 141-153).

The conventional methods include, but are not limited to, saccharification, fermentation, separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF), simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), simultaneous saccharification and cofermentation (SSCF), hybrid hydrolysis and fermentation (HHF), and direct microbial conversion (DMC).

SHF uses separate process steps to first enzymatically hydrolyze cellulose to glucose and then ferment glucose to ethanol. In SSF, the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose and the fermentation of glucose to ethanol is combined in one step (Philippidis, G. P., 1996, Cellulose bioconversion technology, in Handbook on Bioethanol: Production and Utilization, Wyman, C. E., ed., Taylor & Francis, Washington, D.C., 179-212). SSCF includes the coferementation of multiple sugars (Sheehan, J., and Himmel, M., 1999, Enzymes, energy and the environment: A strategic perspective on the U.S. Department of Energy's research and development activities for bioethanol, Biotechnol. Prog., 15: 817-827). HHF includes two separate steps carried out in the same reactor but at different temperatures, i.e., high temperature enzymatic saccharification followed by SSF at a lower temperature that the fermentation strain can tolerate. DMC combines all three processes (cellulase production, cellulose hydrolysis, and fermentation) in one step (Lynd, L. R., Weimer, P. J., van Zyl, W. H., and Pretorius, I. S., 2002, Microbial cellulose utilization: Fundamentals and biotechnology, Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Reviews, 66: 506-577).

“Fermentation” or “fermentation process” refers to any fermentation process or any process comprising a fermentation step. A fermentation process includes, without limitation, fermentation processes used to produce fermentation products including alcohols (e.g., arabinitol, butanol, ethanol, glycerol, methanol, 1,3-propanediol, sorbitol, and xylitol); organic acids (e.g., acetic acid, acetonic acid, adipic acid, ascorbic acid, citric acid, 2,5-diketo-D-gluconic acid, formic acid, fumaric acid, glucaric acid, gluconic acid, glucuronic acid, glutaric acid, 3-hydroxypropionic acid, itaconic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, malonic acid, oxalic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid, and xylonic acid); ketones (e.g., acetone); amino acids (e.g., aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, lysine, serine, and threonine); gases (e.g., methane, hydrogen (H₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO)). Fermentation processes also include fermentation processes used in the consumable alcohol industry (e.g., beer and wine), dairy industry (e.g., fermented dairy products), leather industry, and tobacco industry.

Methods for Producing Organic Substances

The present invention also relates to methods for producing an organic substance, comprising: (a) saccharifying a lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, nonylphenol ethoxylate, tridecyl ethoxylate, and polyoxyethylene ether, wherein the presence of the surfactant increases the degradation of lignocellulosic material compared to the absence of the surfactant; (b) fermenting the saccharified lignocellulosic material of step (a) with one or more fermentating microoganisms; and (c) recovering the organic substance from the fermentation.

The organic substance can be any substance derived from the fermentation. In a preferred embodiment, the organic substance is an alcohol. It will be understood that the term “alcohol” encompasses an organic substance that contains one or more hydroxyl moieties. In a more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is arabinitol. In another more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is butanol. In another more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is ethanol. In another more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is glycerol. In another more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is methanol. In another more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is 1,3-propanediol. In another more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is sorbitol. In another more preferred embodiment, the alcohol is xylitol. See, for example, Gong, C. S., Cao, N. J., Du, J., and Tsao, G. T., 1999, Ethanol production from renewable resources, in Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology, Scheper, T., ed., Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, Germany, 65: 207-241; Silveira, M. M., and Jonas, R., 2002, The biotechnological production of sorbitol, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 59: 400-408; Nigam, P., and Singh, D., 1995, Processes for fermentative production of xylitol—a sugar substitute, Process Biochemistry, 30 (2): 117-124; Ezeji, T. C., Qureshi, N. and Blaschek, H. P., 2003, Production of acetone, butanol and ethanol by Clostridium beijerinckii BA101 and in situ recovery by gas stripping, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology 19 (6): 595-603.

In another preferred embodiment, the organic substance is an organic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is acetic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is acetonic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is adipic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is ascorbic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is citric acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is 2,5-diketo-D-gluconic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is formic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is fumaric acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is glucaric acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is gluconic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is glucuronic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is glutaric acid. In another preferred embodiment, the organic acid is 3-hydroxypropionic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is itaconic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is lactic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is malic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is malonic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is oxalic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is propionic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is succinic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is xylonic acid. See, for example, Chen, R., and Lee, Y. Y., 1997, Membrane-mediated extractive fermentation for lactic acid production from cellulosic biomass, Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol., 63-65: 435-448.

In another preferred embodiment, the organic substance is a ketone. It will be understood that the term “ketone” encompasses an organic substance that contains one or more ketone moieties. In another more preferred embodiment, the ketone is acetone. See, for example, Qureshi and Blaschek, 2003, supra.

In another preferred embodiment, the organic substance is an amino acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the organic acid is aspartic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the amino acid is glutamic acid. In another more preferred embodiment, the amino acid is glycine. In another more preferred embodiment, the amino acid is lysine. In another more preferred embodiment, the amino acid is serine. In another more preferred embodiment, the amino acid is threonine. See, for example, Richard, A., and Margaritis, A., 2004, Empirical modeling of batch fermentation kinetics for poly(glutamic acid) production and other microbial biopolymers, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 87 (4): 501-515.

In another preferred embodiment, the organic substance is a gas. In another more preferred embodiment, the gas is methane. In another more preferred embodiment, the gas is H₂. In another more preferred embodiment, the gas is CO₂. In another more preferred embodiment, the gas is CO. See, for example, Kataoka, N., A. Miya, and K. Kiriyama, 1997, Studies on hydrogen production by continuous culture system of hydrogen-producing anaerobic bacteria, Water Science and Technology 36(6-7): 41-47; and Gunaseelan V. N. in Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 13 (1-2), pp. 83-114, 1997, Anaerobic digestion of biomass for methane production: A review.

Production of an organic substance from lignocellulosic material typically requires four major steps. These four steps are pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, and recovery. Exemplified below is a process for producing ethanol, but it will be understood that similar processes can be used to produce other organic substances, for example, the substances described above.

Pretreatment. In the pretreatment or pre-hydrolysis step, the lignocellulosic material is heated to break down the lignin and carbohydrate structure, solubilize most of the hemicellulose, and make the cellulose fraction accessible to cellulolytic enzymes. The heating is peformed either directly with steam or in slurry where a catalyst may also be added to the material to speed up the reactions. Catalysts include strong acids, such as sulfuric acid and SO₂, or alkali, such as sodium hydroxide. The purpose of the pre-treatment stage is to facilitate the penetration of the enzymes and microorganisms. Lignocellulosic biomass may also be subject to a hydrothermal steam explosion pre-treatment (See U.S. Patent Application No. 20020164730).

Saccharification. In the enzymatic hydrolysis step, also known as saccharification, enzymes as described herein are added to the pretreated material to convert the cellulose fraction to glucose and/or other sugars. The saccharification is generally performed in stirred-tank reactors or fermentors under controlled pH, temperature, and mixing conditions. A saccharification step may last up to 120 hours. Saccharification may be carried out at temperatures from about 30° C. to about 65° C., in particular around 50° C., and at a pH in the range between about 4 and about 5, especially around pH 4.5. To produce glucose that can be metabolized by yeast, the hydrolysis is typically performed in the presence of a beta-glucosidase.

Fermentation. In the fermentation step, sugars, released from the lignocellulosic material as a result of the pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis steps, are fermented to ethanol by a fermenting organism, such as yeast. The fermentation can also be carried out simultaneously with the enzymatic hydrolysis in the same vessel, again under controlled pH, temperature, and mixing conditions. When saccharification and fermentation are performed simultaneously in the same vessel, the process is generally termed simultaneous saccharification and fermentation or SSF.

Any suitable lignocellulosic substrate or raw material may be used in a fermentation process of the present invention. The substrate is generally selected based on the desired fermentation product, i.e., the organic substance to be obtained from the fermentation, and the process employed, as is well known in the art. Examples of substrates suitable for use in the methods of present invention, include lignocellulose-containing materials, such as wood or plant residues or low molecular sugars DP₁₋₃ obtained from processed lignocellulosic material that can be metabolized by the fermenting microorganism, and which may be supplied by direct addition to the fermentation medium.

The term “fermentation medium” will be understood to refer to a medium before the fermenting microorganism(s) is(are) added, such as, a medium resulting from a saccharification process, as well as a medium used in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process (SSF).

“Fermenting microorganism” refers to any microorganism suitable for use in a desired fermentation process. Suitable fermenting microorganisms according to the invention are able to ferment, i.e., convert, sugars, such as glucose, xylose, arabinose, mannose, galactose, or oligosaccharides directly or indirectly into the desired fermentation product. Examples of fermenting microorganisms include fungal organisms, such as yeast. Preferred yeast includes strains of the Sacchromyces spp., and in particular, Sacchromyces cerevisiae. Commercially available yeast include, e.g., Red Star®/Lesaffre Ethanol Red (available from Red Star/Lesaffre, USA) FALI (available from Fleischmann's Yeast, a division of Burns Philp Food Inc., USA), SUPERSTART (available from Alltech), GERT STRAND (available from Gert Strand AB, Sweden) and FERMIOL (available from DSM Specialties).

In a preferred embodiment, the yeast is a Saccharomyces spp. In a more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Saccharomyces distaticus. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Saccharomyces uvarum. In another preferred embodiment, the yeast is a Kluyveromyces. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Kluyveromyces marxianus. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Kluyveromyces fragilis. In another preferred embodiment, the yeast is a Candida. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Candida pseudotropicalis. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Candida brassicae. In another preferred embodiment, the yeast is a Clavispora. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Clavispora lusitaniae. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Clavispora opuntiae. In another preferred embodiment, the yeast is a Pachysolen. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Pachysolen tannophilus. In another preferred embodiment, the yeast is a Bretannomyces. In another more preferred embodiment, the yeast is Bretannomyces clausenii (Philippidis, G. P., 1996, Cellulose bioconversion technology, in Handbook on Bioethanol: Production and Utilization, Wyman, C. E., ed., Taylor & Francis, Washington, D.C., 179-212).

Bacteria that can efficiently ferment glucose to ethanol include, for example, Zymomonas mobilis and Clostridium thermocellum (Philippidis, 1996, supra).

It is well known in the art that the various of the organisms described above can also be used to produce other organic substances, as described herein.

The cloning of heterologous genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Chen, Z., Ho, N. W. Y., 1993, Cloning and improving the expression of Pichia stipitis xylose reductase gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol. 39-40: 135-147; Ho, N. W. Y., Chen, Z, Brainard, A. P., 1998, Genetically engineered Saccharomyces yeast capable of effectively cofermenting glucose and xylose, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 64: 1852-1859), or in bacteria such as Escherichia coli (Beall, D. S., Ohta, K., Ingram, L. O., 1991, Parametric studies of ethanol production from xylose and other sugars by recombinant Escherichia coli, Biotech. Bioeng. 38: 296-303), Klebsiella oxytoca (Ingram, L. O., Gomes, P. F., Lai, X., Moniruzzaman, M., Wood, B. E., Yomano, L. P., York, S. W., 1998, Metabolic engineering of bacteria for ethanol production, Biotechnol. Bioeng. 58: 204-214), and Zymomonas mobilis (Zhang, M., Eddy, C., Deanda, K., Finkelstein, M., and Picataggio, S., 1995, Metabolic engineering of a pentose metabolism pathway in ethanologenic Zymomonas mobilis, Science 267: 240-243; Deanda, K., Zhang, M., Eddy, C., and Picataggio, S., 1996, Development of an arabinose-fermenting Zymomonas mobilis strain by metabolic pathway engineering, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62: 4465-4470) has led to the construction of organisms capable of converting hexoses and pentoses to ethanol (cofermentation).

Yeast or another microorganism typically is added to the degraded lignocellulose or hydrolysate and the fermentation is ongoing for about 24 to about 96 hours, such as about 35 to about 60 hours. The temperature is typically between about 26° C. to about 40° C., in particular at about 32° C., and at about pH 3 to about pH 6, in particular around pH 4-5.

In preferred embodiments, yeast or another microorganism is applied to the degraded lignocellulose or hydrolysate and the fermentation is ongoing for about 24 to about 96 hours, such as typically 35-60 hours. In preferred embodiments, the temperature is generally between about 26 to about 40° C., in particular about 32° C., and the pH is generally from about pH 3 to about pH 6, preferably around pH 4-5. Yeast or another microorganism is preferably applied in amounts of approximately 10⁵ to 10¹², preferably from approximately 10⁷ to 10¹⁰, especially approximately 5×10⁷ viable count per ml of fermentation broth. During an ethanol producing phase the yeast cell count should preferably be in the range from approximately 10⁷ to 10¹⁰, especially around approximately 2×10⁸. Further guidance in respect of using yeast for fermentation can be found in, e.g., “The Alcohol Textbook” (Editors K. Jacques, T. P. Lyons and D. R. Kelsall, Nottingham University Press, United Kingdom 1999), which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The most widely used process in the art is the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process where there is no holding stage for the saccharification, meaning that yeast and enzyme are added together.

For ethanol production, following the fermentation the mash is distilled to extract the ethanol. The ethanol obtained according to the process of the invention may be used as, e.g., fuel ethanol; drinking ethanol, i.e., potable neutral spirits, or industrial ethanol.

A fermentation stimulator may be used in combination with any of the enzymatic processes described herein to further improve the fermentation process, and in particular, the performance of the fermenting microorganism, such as, rate enhancement and ethanol yield. A “fermentation stimulator” refers to stimulators for growth of the fermenting microorganisms, in particular, yeast. Preferred fermentation stimulators for growth include vitamins and minerals. Examples of vitamins include multivitamins, biotin, pantothenate, nicotinic acid, meso-inositol, thiamine, pyridoxine, para-aminobenzoic acid, folic acid, riboflavin, and Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. See, e.g., Alfenore et al., Improving ethanol production and viability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a vitamin feeding strategy during fed-batch process,” Springer-Verlag (2002), which is hereby incorporated by reference. Examples of minerals include minerals and mineral salts that can supply nutrients comprising P, K, Mg, S, Ca, Fe, Zn, Mn, and Cu.

Recovery. The alcohol is separated from the fermented lignocellulosic material and purified by conventional methods of distillation. Ethanol with a purity of up to about 96 vol. % ethanol can be obtained, which can be used as, for example, fuel ethanol, drinking ethanol, i.e., potable neutral spirits, or industrial ethanol.

For other organic substances, any method known in the art can be used including, but not limited to, chromatography (e.g., ion exchange, affinity, hydrophobic, chromatofocusing, and size exclusion), electrophoretic procedures (e.g., preparative isoelectric focusing), differential solubility (e.g., ammonium sulfate precipitation), SDS-PAGE, distillation, or extraction.

Additional Enzymes

In the methods of the present invention, the cellulolytic enzyme(s) may be supplemented by one or more additional enzyme activities to improve the degradation of the lignocellulosic material. Preferred additional enzymes are hemicellulases, esterases (e.g., lipases, phospholipases, and/or cutinases), proteases, laccases, peroxidases, or mixtures thereof.

In the methods of the present invention, the additional enzyme(s) may be added prior to or during fermentation, including during or after the propagation of the fermenting microorganism(s).

The enzymes referenced herein may be derived or obtained from any suitable origin, including, bacterial, fungal, yeast or mammalian origin. The term “obtained” means herein that the enzyme may have been isolated from an organism which naturally produces the enzyme as a native enzyme. The term “obtained” also means herein that the enzyme may have been produced recombinantly in a host organism, wherein the recombinantly produced enzyme is either native or foreign to the host organism or has a modified amino acid sequence, e.g., having one or more amino acids which are deleted, inserted and/or substituted, i.e., a recombinantly produced enzyme which is a mutant and/or a fragment of a native amino acid sequence or an enzyme produced by nucleic acid shuffling processes known in the art. Encompassed within the meaning of a native enzyme are natural variants and within the meaning of a foreign enzyme are variants obtained recombinantly, such as by site-directed mutagenesis or shuffling.

The enzymes may also be purified. The term “purified” as used herein covers enzymes free from other components from the organism from which it is derived. The term “purified” also covers enzymes free from components from the native organism from which it is obtained. The enzymes may be purified, with only minor amounts of other proteins being present. The expression “other proteins” relate in particular to other enzymes. The term “purified” as used herein also refers to removal of other components, particularly other proteins and most particularly other enzymes present in the cell of origin of the enzyme of the invention. The enzyme may be “substantially pure,” that is, free from other components from the organism in which it is produced, that is, for example, a host organism for recombinantly produced enzymes. In preferred embodiment, the enzymes are at least 75% (w/w), preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 85%, more preferably at least 90%, more preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 96%, more preferably at least 97%, even more preferably at least 98%, or most preferably at least 99% pure. In another preferred embodiment, the enzyme is 100% pure.

The enzymes used in the present invention may be in any form suitable for use in the processes described herein, such as, for example, in the form of a dry powder or granulate, a non-dusting granulate, a liquid, a stabilized liquid, or a protected enzyme. Granulates may be produced, e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,106,991 and 4,661,452, and may optionally be coated by process known in the art. Liquid enzyme preparations may, for instance, be stabilized by adding stabilizers such as a sugar, a sugar alcohol or another polyol, and/or lactic acid or another organic acid according to established process. Protected enzymes may be prepared according to the process disclosed in EP 238,216.

Hemicellulases

Enzymatic hydrolysis of hemicelluloses can be performed by a wide variety of fungi and bacteria. Similar to cellulose degradation, hemicellulose hydrolysis requires coordinated action of many enzymes. Hemicellulases can be placed into three general categories: the endo-acting enzymes that attack internal bonds within the polysaccharide chain, the exo-acting enzymes that act processively from either the reducing or nonreducing end of polysaccharide chain, and the accessory enzymes, acetylesterases and esterases that hydrolyze lignin glycoside bonds, such as coumaric acid esterase and ferulic acid esterase (Wong, K. K. Y., Tan, L. U. L., and Saddler, J. N., 1988, Multiplicity of β-1,4-xylanase in microorganisms: Functions and applications, Microbiol. Rev. 52: 305-317; Tenkanen, M., and Poutanen, K., 1992, Significance of esterases in the degradation of xylans, in Xylans and Xylanases, Visser, J., Beldman, G., Kuster-van Someren, M. A., and Voragen, A. G. J., eds., Elsevier, New York, N.Y., 203-212; Coughlan, M. P., and Hazlewood, G. P., 1993, Hemicellulose and hemicellulases, Portland, London, UK; Brigham, J. S., Adney, W. S., and Himmel, M. E., 1996, Hemicellulases: Diversity and applications, in Handbook on Bioethanol: Production and Utilization, Wyman, C. E., ed., Taylor & Francis, Washington, D.C., 119-141).

Hemicellulases include xylanases, arabinofuranosidases, acetyl xylan esterase, glucuronidases, endo-galactanase, mannanases, endo or exo arabinases, exo-galactanses, and mixtures thereof. Examples of endo-acting hemicellulases and ancillary enzymes include endoarabinanase, endoarabinogalactanase, endoglucanase, endomannanase, endoxylanase, and feraxan endoxylanase. Examples of exo-acting hemicellulases and ancillary enzymes include α-L-arabinosidase, β-L-arabinosidase, α-1,2-L-fucosidase, α-D-galactosidase, β-D-galactosidase, β-D-glucosidase, β-D-glucuronidase, β-D-mannosidase, β-D-xylosidase, exoglucosidase, exocellobiohydrolase, exomannobiohydrolase, exomannanase, exoxylanase, xylan α-glucuronidase, and coniferin β-glucosidase. Examples of esterases include acetyl esterases (acetylgalactan esterase, acetylmannan esterase, and acetylxylan esterase) and aryl esterases (coumaric acid esterase and ferulic acid esterase).

Preferably, the hemicellulase is an exo-acting hemicellulase, and more preferably, an exo-acting hemicellulase which has the ability to hydrolyze hemicellulose under acidic conditions of below pH 7. An example of a hemicellulase suitable for use in the present invention includes VISCOZYME™ (available from Novozymes A/S, Denmark). The hemicellulase is added in an effective amount from about 0.001% to about 5.0% wt. of solids, more preferably from about 0.025% to about 4.0% wt. of solids, and most preferably from about 0.005% to about 2.0% wt. of solids.

A xylanase (E.C. 3.2.1.8) may be obtained from any suitable source, including fungal and bacterial organisms, such as Aspergillus, Disporotrichum, Penicillium, Neurospora, Fusarium, Trichoderma, Humicola, Thermomyces, and Bacillus. Preferred commercially available preparations comprising xylanase include SHEARZYME®, BIOFEED WHEAT®, BIO-FEED Plus® L, CELLUCLAST®, ULTRAFLO®, VISCOZYME®, PENTOPAN MONO® BG, and PULPZYME® HC (Novozymes A/S); and LAMINEX® and SPEZYME® CP (Genencor Int.).

Esterases

Esterases that can be used for bioconversion of lignocellulose include acetyl esterases such as acetylgalactan esterase, acetylmannan esterase, and acetylxylan esterase, and esterases that hydrolyze lignin glycoside bonds, such as coumaric acid esterase and ferulic acid esterase.

As used herein, an “esterase” also known as a carboxylic ester hydrolyase, refers to enzymes acting on ester bonds, and includes enzymes classified in EC 3.1.1 Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases according to Enzyme Nomenclature (Enzyme Nomenclature 1992, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif., with Supplement 1 (1993), Supplement 2 (1994), Supplement 3 (1995), Supplement 4 (1997) and Supplement 5, in Eur. J. Biochem. 223: 1-5, 1994; Eur. J. Biochem. 232: 1-6,1995; Eur. J. Biochem. 237: 1-5, 1996; Eur. J. Biochem. 250: 1-6, 1997, and Eur. J. Biochem. 264: 610-650, 1999; respectively). Non-limiting examples of esterases include arylesterase, triacylglycerol lipase, acetylesterase, acetylcholinesterase, cholinesterase, tropinesterase, pectinesterase, sterol esterase, chlorophyllase, L-arabinonolactonase, gluconolactonase, uronolactonase, tannase, retinyl-palmitate esterase, hydroxybutyrate-dimer hydrolase, acylglycerol lipase, 3-oxoadipate enol-lactonase, 1,4-lactonase, galactolipase, 4-pyridoxolactonase, acylcarnitine hydrolase, aminoacyl-tRNA hydrolase, D-arabinonolactonase, 6-phosphogluconolactonase, phospholipase A1, 6-acetylglucose deacetylase, lipoprotein lipase, dihydrocoumarin lipase, limonin-D-ring-lactonase, steroid-lactonase, triacetate-lactonase, actinomycin lactonase, orsellinate-depside hydrolase, cephalosporin-C deacetylase, chlorogenate hydrolase, alpha-amino-acid esterase, 4-methyloxaloacetate esterase, carboxymethylenebutenolidase, deoxylimonate A-ring-lactonase, 2-acetyl-1-alkylglycerophosphocholine esterase, fusarinine-C ornithinesterase, sinapine esterase, wax-ester hydrolase, phorbol-diester hydrolase, phosphatidylinositol deacylase, sialate O-acetylesterase, acetoxybutynylbithiophene deacetylase, acetylsalicylate deacetylase, methylumbelliferyl-acetate deacetylase, 2-pyrone-4,6-dicarboxylate lactonase, N-acetylgalactosaminoglycan deacetylase, juvenile-hormone esterase, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate esterase, protein-glutamate methylesterase, 11-cis-retinyl-palmitate hydrolase, all-trans-retinyl-palmitate hydrolase, L-rhamnono-1,4-lactonase, 5-(3,4-diacetoxybut-1-ynyl)-2,2′-bithiophene deacetylase, fatty-acyl-ethyl-ester synthase, xylono-1,4-lactonase, N-acetylglucosaminylphosphatidylinositol deacetylase, cetraxate benzylesterase, acetylalkylglycerol acetylhydrolase, and acetylxylan esterase.

Preferred esterases for use in the present invention are lipolytic enzymes, such as, lipases (classified as EC 3.1.1.3, EC 3.1.1.23, and/or EC 3.1.1.26) and phospholipases (classified as EC 3.1.1.4 and/or EC 3.1.1.32, including lysophospholipases classified as EC 3.1.1.5). Other preferred esterases are cutinases (classified as EC 3.1.1.74).

The esterase may be added in an amount effective to obtain the desired benefit to improve the performance of the fermenting microorganism, for example, to change the lipid composition/concentration inside and/or outside of the fermenting microorganism or in the cell membrane of the fermenting microorganism, to result in an improvement in the movement of solutes into and/or out of the fermenting microorganisms during fermentation and/or to provide more metabolizable energy sources (such as, for example, by converting components, such as, oil from the corn substrate, to components useful the fermenting microorganism, e.g., unsaturated fatty acids and glycerol), to increase ethanol yield. Examples of effective amounts of esterase are from about 0.01 to about 400 LU/g DS (Dry Solids). Preferably, the esterase is used in an amount of about 0.1 to about 100 LU/g DS, more preferably about 0.5 to about 50 LU/g DS, and even more preferably about 1 to about 20 LU/g DS. Further optimization of the amount of esterase can hereafter be obtained using standard procedures known in the art.

One Lipase Unit (LU) is the amount of enzyme which liberates 1.0 μmol of titratable fatty acid per minute with tributyrin as substrate and gum arabic as an emulsifier at 30° C., pH 7.0 (phosphate buffer).

In a preferred embodiment, the esterase is a lipolytic enzyme, more preferably, a lipase. As used herein, a “lipolytic enzyme” refers to lipases and phospholipases (including lyso-phospholipases). The lipolytic enzyme is preferably of microbial origin, in particular of bacterial, fungal or yeast origin. The lipolytic enzyme used may be derived from any source, including, for example, a strain of Absidia, in particular Absidia blakesleena and Absidia corymbifera, a strain of Achromobacter, in particular Achromobacter iophagus, a strain of Aeromonas, a strain of Alternaria, in particular Alternaria brassiciola, a strain of Aspergillus, in particular Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Asoergillus fumigatus, and Aspergillus flavus, a strain of Achromobacter, in particular Achromobacter iophagus, a strain of Aureobasidium, in particular Aureobasidium pullulans, a strain of Bacillus, in particular Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus stearothermophilus, and Bacillus subtilis, a strain of Beauveria, a strain of Brochothrix, in particular Brochothrix thermosohata, a strain of Candida, in particular Candida cylindracea (Candida rugosa), Candida paralipolytica, and Candida antarctica, a strain of Chromobacter, in particular Chromobacter viscosum, a strain of Coprinus, in particular Coprinus cinerius, a strain of Fusarium, in particular Fusarium graminearum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, Fusarium solani pisi, Fusarium roseum culmorum, and Fusarium venenatum, a strain of Geotricum, in particular Geotricum penicillatum, a strain of Hansenula, in particular Hansenula anomala, a strain of Humicola, in particular Humicola brevispora, Humicola brevis var. thermoidea, and Humicola insolens, a strain of Hyphozyma, a strain of Lactobacillus, in particular Lactobacillus curvatus, a strain of Metarhizium, a strain of Mucor, a strain of Paecilomyces, a strain of Penicillium, in particular Penicillium cyclopium, Penicillium crustosum and Penicillium expansum, a strain of Pseudomonas in particular Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Pseudomonas cepacia (syn. Burkholderia cepacia), Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas fragi, Pseudomonas maltophilia, Pseudomonas mendocina, Pseudomonas mephitica lipolytica, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Pseudomonas plantari, Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas stutzeri, and Pseudomonas wisconsinensis, a strain of Rhizooctonia, in particular Rhizooctonia solani, a strain of Rhizomucor, in particular Rhizomucor miehei, a strain of Rhizopus, in particular Rhizopus japonicus, Rhizopus microsporus, and Rhizopus nodosus, a strain of Rhodosporidium, in particular Rhodosporidium toruloides, a strain of Rhodotorula, in particular Rhodotorula glutinis, a strain of Sporobolomyces, in particular Sporobolomyces shibatanus, a strain of Thermomyces, in particular Thermomyces lanuginosus (formerly Humicola lanuginosa), a strain of Thiarosporella, in particular Thiarosporella phaseolina, a strain of Trichoderma, in particular, Trichoderma harzianum and Trichoderma reesei, and/or a strain of Verticillium.

In a preferred embodiment, the lipolytic enzyme is derived from a strain of Aspergillus, Achromobacter, Bacillus, Candida, Chromobacter, Fusarium, Humicola, Hyphozyma, Pseudomonas, Rhizomucor, Rhizopus, or Thermomyces.

In more preferred embodiments, the lipolytic enzyme is a lipase. Lipases may be applied herein for their ability to modify the structure and composition of triglyceride oils and fats in the fermentation media (including fermentation yeast), for example, resulting from a corn substrate. Lipases catalyze different types of triglyceride conversions, such as hydrolysis, esterification, and transesterification. Suitable lipases include acidic, neutral, and basic lipases, as are well-known in the art, although acidic lipases (such as, e.g., the lipase G AMANO 50, available from Amano) appear to be more effective at lower concentrations of lipase as compared to either neutral or basic lipases. Preferred lipases for use in the present invention include Candida antarcitca lipase and Candida cylindracea lipase. More preferred lipases are purified lipases such as Candida antarcitca lipase (lipase A), Candida antarcitca lipase (lipase B), Candida cylindracea lipase, and Penicillium camembertii lipase.

The lipase may be the one disclosed in EP 258,068-A or may be a lipase variant such as a variant disclosed in WO 00/60063 or WO 00/32758, hereby incorporated by reference. Preferred commercial lipases include LECITASE™, LIPOLASE™, and LIPEX™ (available from Novozymes A/S, Denmark) and G AMANO™ 50 (available from Amano).

Lipases are preferably added in amounts from about 1 to about 400 LU/g DS, preferably about 1 to about 10 LU/g DS, and more preferably about 1 to about 5 LU/g DS.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the esterase is a cutinase. Cutinases are enzymes which are able to degrade cutin. The cutinase may be derived from any source. In a preferred embodiment, the cutinase is derived from a strain of Aspergillus, in particular Aspergillus oryzae, a strain of Alternaria, in particular Alternaria brassiciola, a strain of Fusarium, in particular Fusarium solani, Fusarium solani pisi, Fusarium roseum culmorum, or Fusarium roseum sambucium, a strain of Helminthosporum, in particular Helminthosporum sativum, a strain of Humicola, in particular Humicola insolens, a strain of Pseudomonas, in particular Pseudomonas mendocina or Pseudomonas putida, a strain of Rhizoctonia, in particular Rhizoctonia solani, a strain of Streptomyces, in particular Streptomyces scabies, or a strain of Ulocladium, in particular Ulocladium consortiale. In a most preferred embodiment the cutinase is derived from a strain of Humicola insolens, in particular the strain Humicola insolens DSM 1800. Humicola insolens cutinase is described in WO 96/13580, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The cutinase may be a variant such as one of the variants disclosed in WO 00/34450 and WO 01/92502, which are hereby incorporated by reference. Preferred cutinase variants include variants listed in Example 2 of WO 01/92502 which are hereby specifically incorporated by reference. An effective amount of cutinase is from about 0.01 to about 400 LU/g DS, preferably from about 0.1 to about 100 LU/g DS, and more preferably from about 1 to about 50 LU/g DS. Further optimization of the amount of cutinase can hereafter be obtained using standard procedures known in the art.

In another preferred embodiment, the esterase is a phospholipase. As used herein, the term “phospholipase” is an enzyme which has activity towards phospholipids, e.g., hydrolytic activity. Phospholipids, such as lecithin or phosphatidylcholine, consist of glycerol esterified with two fatty acids in an outer (sn-1) and the middle (sn-2) positions and esterified with phosphoric acid in the third position. The phosphoric acid may be esterified to an amino-alcohol. Several types of phospholipase activity can be distinguished, including phospholipases A₁ and A₂ which hydrolyze one fatty acyl group (in the sn-1 and sn-2 position, respectively) to form lysophospholipid; and lysophospholipase (or phospholipase B) which hydrolyzes the remaining fatty acyl group in lysophospholipid. Phospholipase C and phospholipase D (phosphodiesterases) release diacyl glycerol or phosphatidic acid respectively.

The term “phospholipase” includes enzymes with phospholipase activity, e.g., phospholipase A (A₁ or A₂), phospholipase B activity, phospholipase C activity, or phospholipase D activity. The term “phospholipase A” as used herein is intended to cover an enzyme with phospholipase A₁ and/or phospholipase A₂ activity. The phospholipase activity may be provided by enzymes having other activities as well, such as, e.g., a lipase with phospholipase activity. The phospholipase activity may, for example, be from a lipase with phospholipase side activity. In other embodiments, the phospholipase enzyme activity is provided by an enzyme having essentially only phospholipase activity and wherein the phospholipase enzyme activity is not a side activity.

The phospholipase may be of any origin, for example, of animal origin (e.g., mammalian, for example, bovine or porcine pancreas), or snake venom or bee venom. Alternatively, the phospholipase may be of microbial origin, for example, from filamentous fungi, yeast or bacteria, such as Aspergillus, e.g., A. awamori, A. foetidus, A. japonicus, A. niger, or A. oryzae, Dictyostelium, e.g., D. discoideum; Fusarium, e.g., F. culmorum, F. graminearum, F. heterosporum, F. solani, F. oxysporum, or F. venenatum; Mucor, e.g., M. javanicus, M. mucedo, or M. subtilissimus; Neurospora, e.g., N. crassa; Rhizomucor, e.g., R. pusillus; Rhizopus, e.g., R. arrhizus, R. japonicus, R. stolonifer, Sclerotinia, e.g., S. libertiana; Trichophyton, e.g., T. rubrum; Whetzelinia, e.g., W. sclerotiorum; Bacillus, e.g., B. megaterium, or B. subtilis; Citrobacter, e.g., C. freundii; Enterobacter, e.g., E. aerogenes or E. cloacae; Edwardsiella, E. tarda; Erwinia, e.g., E. herbicola; Escherichia, e.g., E. coli; Klebsiella, e.g., K. pneumoniae; Proteus, e.g., P. vulgaris; Providencia, e.g., P. stuartii; Salmonella, e.g., S. typhimurium; Serratia, e.g., S. liquefasciens, S. marcescens; Shigella, e.g., S. flexneri; Streptomyces, e.g., S. violeceoruber; or Yersinia, e.g., Y. enterocolitica.

Preferred commercial phospholipases include LECITASE™ and LECITASE™ ULTRA (available from Novozymes A/S, Denmark).

An effective amount of phospholipase is from about 0.01 to about 400 LU/g DS, preferably from about 0.1 to about 100 LU/g DS, and more preferably from about 1 to about 50 LU/g DS. Further optimization of the amount of phospholipase can hereafter be obtained using standard procedures known in the art.

Proteases

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one surfactant and at least one carbohydrate generating enzyme is used in combination with at least one protease. The protease may be used, e.g., to digest protein to produce free amino nitrogen (FAN). Such free amino acids function as nutrients for the yeast, thereby enhancing the growth of the yeast and, consequently, the production of ethanol.

The fermenting microorganism for use in a fermentation process may be produced by propagating the fermenting microorganism in the presence of at least one protease. Although not limited to any one theory of operation, it is believed that the propagation of the fermenting microorganism with an effective amount of at least one protease reduces the lag time of the fermenting microorganism when the fermenting microorganism is subsequently used in a fermentation process as compared to a fermenting microorganism that was propogated under the same conditions without the addition of the protease. The action of the protease in the propagation process is believed to directly or indirectly result in the suppression or expression of genes which are detrimental or beneficial, respectively, to the fermenting microorganism during fermentation, thereby decreasing lag time and resulting in a faster fermentation cycle.

Proteases are well known in the art and refer to enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of peptide bonds. Suitable proteases include fungal and bacterial proteases. Preferred proteases are acidic proteases, i.e., proteases characterized by the ability to hydrolyze proteins under acidic conditions below pH 7. Suitable acid fungal proteases include fungal proteases derived from Aspergillus, Mucor, Rhizopus, Candida, Coriolus, Endothia, Enthomophtra, Irpex, Penicillium, Sclerotium, and Torulopsis. Especially contemplated are proteases derived from Aspergillus niger (see, e.g., Koaze et al., 1964, Agr. Biol. Chem. Japan 28: 216), Aspergillus saitoi (see, e.g., Yoshida, 1954, J. Agr. Chem. Soc. Japan 28: 66), Aspergillus awamori (Hayashida et al., 1977, Agric. Biol. Chem. 42: 927-933, Aspergillus aculeatus (WO 95/02044), or Aspergillus oryzae; and acidic proteases from Mucor pusillus or Mucor miehei.

Bacterial proteases, which are not acidic proteases, include the commercially available products ALCALASE™ and NEUTRASE™ (available from Novozymes A/S). Other proteases include GC106 from Genencor Int, Inc., USA and NOVOZYM™ 50006 from Novozymes A/S.

Preferably, the protease is an aspartic acid protease, as described, for example, in Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes, Edited by A. J. Barrett, N. D. Rawlings and J. F. Woessner, Academic Press, San Diego, 1998, Chapter 270). Suitable examples of aspartic acid protease include, e.g., those disclosed by Berka et al., 1990, Gene 96: 313; Berka et al., 1993, Gene 125: 195-198; and Gomi et al., 1993, Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. 57: 1095-1100.

Peroxidases

Other compounds possessing peroxidase activity may be any peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7), or any fragment having peroxidase activity derived therefrom, exhibiting peroxidase activity.

Preferably, the peroxidase is produced by plants (e.g., horseradish or soybean peroxidase) or microorganisms such as fungi or bacteria.

Some preferred fungi include strains belonging to the subdivision Deuteromycotina, class Hyphomycetes, e.g., Fusarium, Humicola, Tricoderma, Myrothecium, Verticillum, Arthromyces, Caldariomyces, Ulocladium, Embellisia, Cladosporium, or Dreschlera, in particular Fusarium oxysporum (DSM 2672), Humicola insolens, Trichoderma resii, Myrothecium verrucaria (IFO 6113), Verticillum alboatrum, Verticillum dahlie, Arthromyces ramosus (FERM P-7754), Caldariomyces fumago, Ulocladium chartarum, Embellisia alli, or Dreschlera halodes.

Other preferred fungi include strains belonging to the subdivision Basidiomycotina, class Basidiomycetes, e.g., Coprinus, Phanerochaete, Coriolus, or Trametes, in particular Coprinus cinereus f. microsporus (IFO 8371), Coprinus macrorhizus, Phanerochaete chrysosporium (e.g. NA-12), or Trametes (previously called Polyporus), e.g., T. versicolor (e.g. PR4 28-A).

Further preferred fungi include strains belonging to the subdivision Zygomycotina, class Mycoraceae, e.g., Rhizopus or Mucor, in particular Mucor hiemalis.

Some preferred bacteria include strains of the order Actinomycetales, e.g. Streptomyces spheroides (ATTC 23965), Streptomyces thermoviolaceus (IFO 12382), or Streptoverticillum verticillium ssp. verticillium.

Other preferred bacteria include Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rhodomonas palustri, Streptococcus lactis, Pseudomonas purrocinia (ATCC 15958), Pseudomonas fluorescens (NRRL B-11), and Bacillus strains, e.g., Bacillus pumilus (ATCC 12905) and Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Further preferred bacteria include strains belonging to Myxococcus, e.g., M. virescens.

The peroxidase may also be one which is produced by a method comprising cultivating a host cell transformed with a recombinant DNA vector which carries a DNA sequence encoding the peroxidase as well as DNA sequences for expression of the DNA sequence encoding the peroxidase, in a culture medium under conditions permitting the expression of the peroxidase and recovering the peroxidase from the culture.

In a preferred embodiment, a recombinantly produced peroxidase is a peroxidase derived from a Coprinus sp., in particular C. macrorhizus or C. cinereus according to WO 92/16634.

In the present invention, compounds possessing peroxidase activity comprise peroxidase enzymes and peroxidase active fragments derived from cytochromes, haemoglobin, or peroxidase enzymes.

One peroxidase unit (POXU) is the amount of enzyme which under the following conditions catalyzes the conversion of 1 μmole hydrogen peroxide per minute at 30° C. in 0.1 M phosphate buffer pH 7.0, 0.88 mM hydrogen peroxide, and 1.67 mM 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS). The reaction is followed for 60 seconds (15 seconds after mixing) by the change in absorbance at 418 nm, which should be in the range of 0.15 to 0.30. For calculation of activity, an absorption coefficient of oxidized ABTS of 36 mM⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and a stoichiometry of one pmole H₂O₂ converted per two μmole ABTS oxidized are used.

Laccases

In the present invention, laccases and laccase related enzymes comprise any laccase enzyme classified as EC 1.10.3.2, any catechol oxidase enzyme classified as EC 1.10.3.1, any bilirubin oxidase enzyme classified as EC 1.3.3.5, or any monophenol monooxygenase enzyme classified as EC 1.14.18.1.

The above-mentioned enzymes may be microbial, i.e., obtained from bacteria or fungi (including filamentous fungi and yeasts), or they may be derived from plants.

Suitable examples from fungi include a laccase obtained from a strain of Aspergillus, Neurospora, e.g., N. crassa, Podospora, Botrytis, Collybia, Fomes, Lentinus, Pleurotus, Trametes, e.g., T. villosa and T. versicolor, Rhizooctonia, e.g., R. solani, Coprinus, e.g., C. cinereus, C. comatus, C. friesii, and C. plicatilis, Psathyrella, e.g., P. condelleana, Panaeolus, e.g., P. papilionaceus, Myceliophthora, e.g., M. thermophila, Schytalidium, e.g., S. thermophilum, Polyporus, e.g., P. pinsitus, Pycnoporus, e.g., P. cinnabarinus, Phlebia, e.g., P. radita (WO 92/01046), or Coriolus, e.g., C. hirsutus (JP 2-238885).

Suitable examples from bacteria include a laccase obtained from a strain of Bacillus.

A laccase obtained from Coprinus, Myceliophthora, Polyporus, Pycnoporus, Scytalidium or Rhizoctonia is preferred; in particular a laccase obtained from Coprinus cinereus, Myceliophthora thermophila, Polyporus pinsitus, Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, Scytalidium thermophilum, or Rhizoctonia solani.

Commercially available laccases are NS51001 (a Polyporus pinsitius laccase, available from Novozymes A/S, Denmark) and NS51002 (a Myceliopthora thermophila laccase, available from Novozymes A/S, Denmark).

The laccase or the laccase related enzyme may also be one which is produced by a method comprising cultivating a host cell transformed with a recombinant DNA vector which carries a DNA sequence encoding the laccase as well as DNA sequences for expression of the DNA sequence encoding the laccase, in a culture medium under conditions permitting the expression of the laccase enzyme, and recovering the laccase from the culture.

Laccase activity (LACU) is determined from the oxidation of syringaldazin under aerobic conditions at pH 5.5. The violet colour produced is photometered at 530 nm. The analytical conditions are 19 mM syringaldazin, 23 mM acetate buffer, pH 5.5, 30° C., 1 minute reaction time. One laccase unit (LACU) is the amount of enzyme that catalyses the conversion of 1.0 μmole syringaldazin per minute under the above conditions.

Laccase activity (LAMU) is determined from the oxidation of syringaldazin under aerobic conditions at pH 7.5. The violet colour produced is photometered at 530 nm. The analytical conditions are 19 mM syringaldazin, 23 mM Tris/maleate pH 7.5, 30° C., 1 minute reaction time. One laccase unit (LAMU) is the amount of enzyme that catalyses the conversion of 1.0 μmole syringaldazin per minute under the above conditions.

The present invention is further described by the following examples which should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

EXAMPLES

Materials

Chemicals used as buffers and substrates were commercial products of at least reagent grade.

Strains

Trichoderma reesei RutC30 (ATCC 56765; Montenecourt and Eveleigh, 1979, Adv. Chem. Ser. 181: 289-301), which was derived from Trichoderma reesei Qm6A (ATCC 13631; Mandels and Reese, 1957, J. Bacteriol. 73: 269-278), was used as a host for the expression of Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase.

Escherichia coli strain TOP10 cells (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) and Epicurian coli SURE electroporation-competent cells (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) were used for propagation of plasmids.

Aspergillus oryzae JaL250 strain (WO 99/61651) was used for expression of the Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase. Aspergillus fumigatus PaHa34 was used as the source of the Family GH3A beta-glucosidase.

Media and Buffer Solutions

YP medium was composed per liter of 10 g of yeast extract and 20 g of bactopeptone.

COVE selection plates were composed per liter of 342.3 g of sucrose, 20 ml of COVE salt solution, 10 mM acetamide, 15 mM CsCl₂, and 25 g of Noble agar.

COVE2 plates were composed per liter of 30 g of sucrose, 20 ml COVE of salt solution, 10 mM acetamide, and 25 g of Noble agar.

COVE salt solution was composed per liter of 26 g of KCl, 26 g of MgSO₄.7H₂O, 76 g of KH₂PO₄, and 50 ml of COVE trace metals solution.

COVE trace metals solution was composed per liter of 0.04 g of NaB₄O₇.10H₂O, 0.4 g of CuSO₄.5H₂O, 1.2 g of FeSO₄.7H₂O, 0.7 g of MnSO₄.H₂O, 0.8 g of Na₂MoO₂.2H₂O, and 10 g of ZnSO₄.7H₂O.

Cellulase-inducing media was composed per liter of 20 g of Arbocel B800-natural cellulose fibers (J. Rettenmaier USA LP, Schoolcraft, Mich.), 10 g of corn steep solids (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.), 1.45 g of (NH₄)₂SO₄, 2.08 g of KH₂PO₄, 0.28 g of CaCl₂, 0.42 g of MgSO₄.7H₂O, 0.42 ml Trichoderma reesei trace metals solution, and 2 drops of pluronic acid; pH to 6.0 with 10 N NaoH.

Trichoderma reesei trace metals solution was composed per liter of 216 g of FeCl₃.6H₂O, 58 g of ZnSO₄.7H₂O, 27 g of MnSO₄.H₂O, 10 g of CuSO₄.5H₂O, 2.4 g of H₃BO₃, and 336 g of citric acid.

PEG Buffer was composed per liter of 500 g of PEG 4000 (BDH, Poole, England), 10 mM CaCl₂, and 10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5 (filter sterilize).

STC was composed per liter of 1 M sorbitol, 10 mM CaCl₂, and 10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5 (filter sterilize).

YPD medium was composed per liter of 10 g of yeast extract, 20 g of bacto tryptone, and 40 ml of 50% glucose.

Yeast selection medium was composed per liter of 6.7 g of yeast nitrogen base, 0.8 g of complete supplement mixture (CSM, Qbiogene, Inc., Carlsbad, Calif.; missing uracil and containing 40 mg/ml of adenine), 5 g of casamino acids (without amino acids), 100 ml of 0.5 M succinate pH 5.0, 40 ml of 50% glucose, 1 ml of 100 mM CUSO₄, 50 mg of ampicillin, and 25 mg of chloramphenicol.

Yeast selection plate medium was composed per liter of yeast selection medium supplemented with 20 g of bacto agar and 150 mg of 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (X-Glc, INALCO SPA, Milano, Italy) but lacking both ampicillin and chloramphenicol.

Potato dextrose medium was composed per liter of 39 grams of potato dextrose (Difco).

PDA plates were composed per liter of 39 grams of potato dextrose agar.

MDU2BP medium was composed per liter of 45 g of maltose, 1 g of MgSO₄.7H₂O, 1 g of NaCl, 2 g of K₂SO₄, 12 g of KH₂PO₄, 7 g of yeast extract, 2 g of urea, and 0.5 ml of AMG trace metals solution, pH to 5.0.

AMG trace metals solution was composed per liter of 14.3 g of ZnSO₄.7H₂O, 2.5 g of CuSO₄.5H₂O, 0.5 g of NiCl₂.6H₂O, 13.8 g of FeSO₄.7H₂O, 8.5 g of MnSO₄.H₂O, and 3 g of citric acid.

CIM medium was composed per liter of 20 g of cellulose, 10 g of corn steep solids, 1.45 g of (NH₄)₂SO₄, 2.08 g of KH₂PO₄, 0.28 g of CaCl₂, 0.42 g of MgSO₄.7H₂O, and 0.42 ml of trace metals solution, pH to 6.0.

Trace metals solution was composed per liter of 41.2 mg of FeCl₃.6H₂O, 11.6 mg of ZnSO₄.7H₂O, 5.4 mg of MnSO₄.H₂O, 2.0 mg of CuSO₄.5H₂O, 0.48 mg of H₃BO₃, and 67.2 mg of citric acid.

Beta-Glucosidase Activity Assay

Beta-glucosidase activity was determined at ambient temperature on 25 μl of crude culture supernatants, diluted 1:10 in 50 mM succinate pH 5.0, using 200 μl of 0.5 mg/ml p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (pnpBDG) as substrate in 50 mM succinate pH 5.0. After 15 minutes incubation the reaction was stopped by adding 100 μl of 1 M Tris-HCl pH 8.0 and the absorbance was read spectrophotometrically at 405 nm. Aspergillus niger beta-glucosidase (Novozyme 188, Novozymes A/S, Bagsveerd, Denmark) was used as an enzyme standard.

Endoglucanase Activity Assay

The specific activity of endoglucanases towards carboxymethylcellulose (CMC, 5 mg/ml) was determined by measuring the initial rate of hydrolysis in the range of linear increase of reducing sugar (RS) concentration over time in 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 at 50° C. Hydrolysis was carried out without stirring in the presence of 0.5 mg/ml BSA. Specific activity was expressed in international units (IU) per mg protein. One IU is defined as the μmol of glycosidic bonds hydrolyzed in one minute during the initial period of hydrolysis. Enzymes were diluted so as to give a linear relationship between enzyme concentration and activity measured.

Carboxymethylcellulose (type 7L2, Hercules Inc., Wilmington, Del.) with average degree of substitution (DS) of 0.7. A 6.25 mg/ml solution of CMC in 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 was prepared by slowly adding CMC to vigorously agitated buffer, followed by heating to approximately 60° C. under continuous stirring until complete dissolution.

Cellobiohydrolase Activity Assay

Cellobiohydrolase activity was determined according to the procedure described by Deshpande et al. (Deshpande, M. V., Eriksson, K.-E., Pettersson, L. G., 1984, An assay for selective determination of exo-1,4-β-glucanases in a mixture of cellulolytic enzymes, Anal. Biochem. 138: 481-487), which was modified to a 96-well microplate format. Concentration of p-nitrophenol (PNP) produced from 2.5 mM p-nitrophenyl-β-D-cellobioside (PNPC, Cat. # 5754, Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) was measured spectrophotometrically at 405 nm (A₄₀₅) after 30 minutes of hydrolysis in 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 at 40° C. Prior to hydrolysis, the enzymes were diluted in 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 to give less than 8% conversion of PNPC at the conditions specified.

Enzymes

Celluclast 1.5 L was obtained from Novozymes A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark. Protein concentration in cellulase samples was determined by the BCA Microplate Assay as described in the Instructions for PCS Protein Assay Reagent Kit (Pierce Chemical Co., Rockford, Ill.). Prior to determining the concentration, some samples were desalted by passing through Bio Spin 6 columns (BioRad Laboratories, Hercules, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Prior to hydrolysis experiments, Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae according to WO 02/095014), Aspergillus fumigatis beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae), and Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase 1 (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) were desalted and exchanged into 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 buffer, using Centricon Plus-20 centrifugal filter with Biomax-5 membrane (5000 NMWL; Millipore, Bedford, Mass.).

Enzyme dilutions were prepared fresh before each experiment from stock enzyme solutions, which were stored at −20° C.

Example 1 Construction of pAlLo1 Expression Vector

Expression vector pAlLo1 was constructed by modifying pBANe6 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,837), which comprises a hybrid of the promoters from the genes for Aspergillus niger neutral alpha-amylase and Aspergillus oryzae triose phosphate isomerase (NA2-tpi promoter), Aspergillus niger amyloglucosidase terminator sequence (AMG terminator), and Aspergillus nidulans acetamidase gene (amdS). Modification of pBANe6 was performed by first eliminating three Nco I restriction sites at positions 2051, 2722, and 3397 bp from the amdS selection marker by site-directed mutagenesis. All changes were designed to be “silent” leaving the actual protein sequence of the amdS gene product unchanged. Removal of these three sites was performed simultaneously with a GeneEditor Site-Directed Mutagenesis Kit (Promega, Madison, Wis.) according to the manufacturer's instructions using the following primers (underlined nucleotide represents the changed base):

AMDS3NcoMut (2050): 5′-GTGCCCCATGATACGCCTCCGG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 1) AMDS2NcoMut (2721): 5′-GAGTCGTATTTCCAAGGCTCCTGACC-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 2) AMDS1NcoMut (3396): 5′-GGAGGCCATGAAGTGGACCAACGG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 3)

A plasmid comprising all three expected sequence changes was then submitted to site-directed mutagenesis, using a QuickChange Mutagenesis Kit (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.), to eliminate the Nco I restriction site at the end of the AMG terminator at position 1643. The following primers (underlined nucleotide represents the changed base) were used for mutagenesis:

Upper Primer to mutagenize the AMG terminator sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 4) 5′-CACCGTGAAAGCCATGCTCTTTCCTTCGTGTAGAAGACCAGACAG- 3′ Lower Primer to mutagenize the AMG terminator sequence:

(SEQ ID NO: 5) 5′-CTGGTCTTCTACACGAAGGAAAGAGCATGGCTTTCACGGTGTCTG- 3′

The last step in the modification of pBANe6 was the addition of a new Nco I restriction site at the beginning of the polylinker using a QuickChange Mutagenesis Kit and the following primers (underlined nucleotides represent the changed bases) to yield pAlLo1 (FIG. 3).

Upper Primer to mutagenize the NA2-tpi promoter:

(SEQ ID NO: 6) 5′-CTATATACACAACTGGATTTACCATGGGCCCGCGGCCGCAGATC-3′ Lower Primer to mutagenize the NA2-tpi promoter:

(SEQ ID NO: 7) 5′-GATCTGCGGCCGCGGGCCCATGGTAAATCCAGTTGTGTATATAG-3′

Example 2 Construction of pMJ04 Expression Vector

Expression vector pMJ04 was constructed by PCR amplifying the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase Iterminator from Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA using primers 993429 (antisense) and 993428 (sense) shown below. The antisense primer was engineered to have a Pac I site at the 5′-end and a Spe I site at the 5′-end of the sense primer.

Primer 993429 (antisense): 5′-AACGTTAATTAAGGAATCGTTTTGTGTTT-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 8) Primer 993428 (sense): 5′-AGTACTAGTAGCTCCGTGGCGAAAGCCTG-3′ (SEQ ID NO: 9)

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.), 0.3 mM dNTPs, 100 ng of Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA (which was isolated using a DNeasy Plant Maxi Kit, QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.), 0.3 μM primer 993429, 0.3 μM primer 993428, and 2 units of Vent polymerase (New England Biolabs, Beverly, Mass.). The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 (Hamburg, Germany) programmed as follows: 30 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 55° C., and 30 seconds at 72° C. (15 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using 40 mM Tris base-20 mM sodium acetate-1 mM disodium EDTA (TAE) buffer where a 229 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit (QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The resulting PCR fragment was digested with Pac I and Spe I and ligated into pAlLo1 digested with the same restriction enzymes using a Rapid Ligation Kit (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.), to generate pMJ04 (FIG. 2).

Example 3 Construction of pCaHj568 Expression Vector

Expression plasmid pCaHj568 was constructed from pCaHj170 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,254) and pMT2188. Plasmid pCaHj170 comprises the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 (Ce/45A) coding region. Plasmid pMT2188 was constructed as follows: The pUC19 origin of replication was PCR amplified from pCaHj483 (WO 98/00529) with primers 142779 and 142780 shown below. Primer 142780 introduces a Bbu I site in the PCR fragment.

142779: (SEQ ID NO: 10) 5′-TTGAATTGAAAATAGATTGATTTAAAACTTC-3′ 142780: (SEQ ID NO: 11) 5′-TTGCATGCGTAATCATGGTCATAGC-3′

The Expand PCR System (Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Basel, Switserland) was used for the amplification following the manufacturer's instructions for this and subsequent PCR amplifications. PCR products were separated on an agarose gel and an 1160 bp fragment was isolated and purified using a Jetquick Gel Extraction Spin Kit (Genomed, Wielandstr, Germany).

The URA3 gene was amplified from the general Saccharomyces cerevisiae cloning vector pYES2 (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) using primers 140288 and 142778 below. Primer 140288 introduces an Eco RI site in the PCR fragment.

140288: (SEQ ID NO: 12) 5′-TTGAATTCATGGGTAATAACTGATAT-3′ 142778: (SEQ ID NO: 13) 5′-AAATCAATCTATTTTCAATTCAATTCATCATT-3′

PCR products were separated on an agarose gel and an 1126 bp fragment was isolated and purified using a Jetquick Gel Extraction Spin Kit.

The two PCR fragments were fused by mixing and amplifed using primers 142780 and 140288 shown above by overlap method splicing (Horton et al., 1989, Gene 77: 61-68). PCR products were separated on an agarose gel and a 2263 bp fragment was isolated and purified using a Jetquick gel extraction spin kit.

The resulting fragment was digested with EcoR I and Bbu I and ligated to the largest fragment of pCaHj483 digested with the same enzymes. The ligation mixture was used to transform pyrF E. coli strain DB6507 (ATCC 35673) made competent by the method of Mandel and Higa, 1970, J. Mol. Biol. 45: 154. Transformants were selected on solid M9 medium (Sambrook et al., 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press) supplemented per liter with 1 g of casaminoacids, 500 μg of thiamine, and 10 mg of kanamycin. A plasmid from one transformant was isolated and designated pCaHj527 (FIG. 3).

The NA2/tpi promoter present on pCaHj527 was subjected to site-directed mutagenesis by a simple PCR approach. Nucleotides 134-144 were converted from GTACTAAAACC to CCGTTAAATTT using mutagenic primer 141223:

Primer 141223: (SEQ ID NO: 14) 5′-GGATGCTGTTGACTCCGGAAATTTAACGGTTTGGTCTTGCATCCC-3′ Nucleotides 423-436 were converted from ATGCAATTTAMCT to CGGCAATTTAACGG using mutagenic primer 141222:

Primer 141222: (SEQ ID NO: 15) 5′-GGTATTGTCCTGCAGACGGCAATTTAACGGCTTCTGCGAATCGC-3′

The resulting plasmid was designated pMT2188 (FIG. 4).

The Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 coding region was transferred from pCaHj170 as a Bam HI-Sal I fragment into pMT2188 digested with Bam HI and Xho I to generate pCaHj568 (FIG. 5).

Example 4 Construction of pMJ05 Expression Vector

Expression vector pMJ05 was constructed by PCR amplifying the 915 bp Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 coding region from pCaHj568 using primers HiEGV-F and HiEGV-R shown below.

HiEGV-F (sense): (SEQ ID NO: 16) 5′-AAGCTTAAGCATGCGTTCCTCCCCCCTCC-3′ HiEGV-R (antisense): (SEQ ID NO: 17) 5′-CTGCAGAATTCTACAGGCACTGATGGTACCAG-3′

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer, 0.3 mM dNTPs, 10 ng/μl pCaHj568 plasmid, 0.3 μM HiEGV-F primer, 0.3 μM HiEGV-R primer, and 2 units of Vent polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 5 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 50° C., and 60 seconds at 72° C., followed by 25 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 65° C., and 120 seconds at 72° C. (5 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 937 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

This 937 bp purified fragment was used as template DNA for subsequent amplifications using the following primers:

HiEGV-R (antisense): (SEQ ID NO: 18) 5′-CTGCAGAATTCTACAGGCACTGATGGTACCAG-3′ HiEGV-F-overlap (sense): (SEQ ID NO: 19) 5′-ACCGCGGACTGCGCATC ATGCGTTCCTCCCCCCTCC-3′ Primer sequences in italics are homologous to 17 bp of the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 promoter and underlined primer sequences are homologous to 29 bp of the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 coding region. The 36 bp overlap between the promoter and the coding sequence allowed precise fusion of the 994 bp fragment comprising the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase Ipromoter to the 918 bp fragment comprising the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 open reading frame.

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer, 0.3 mM dNTPs, 1 μl of the purified 937 bp PCR fragment, 0.3 μM HiEGV-F-overlap primer, 0.3 μM HiEGV-R primer, and 2 units of Vent polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 5 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 50° C., and 60 seconds at 72° C., followed by 25 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 65° C., and 120 seconds at 72° C. (5 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 945 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

A separate PCR was performed to amplify the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 promoter sequence extending from 994 bp upstream of the ATG start codon of the gene from Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA using the following primers (sense primer was engineered to have a Sal I restriction site at the 5′-end):

TrCBHIpro-F (sense): (SEQ ID NO: 20) 5′-AAACGTCGACCGAATGTAGGATTGTTATC-3′ TrCBHIpro-R (antisense): (SEQ ID NO: 21) 5′-GATGCGCAGTCCGCGGT-3′

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer, 0.3 mM dNTPs, 100 ng/μl Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA, 0.3 μM TrCBHIpro-F primer, 0.3 μM TrCBHIpro-R primer, and 2 units of Vent polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 30 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 55° C., and 120 seconds at 72° C. (5 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 998 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The purified 998 bp PCR fragment was used to as template DNA for subsequent amplifications using the following primers:

TrCBHIpro-F: (SEQ ID NO: 22) 5′-AAACGTCGACCGAATGTAGGATTGTTATC-3′ TrCBHIpro-R-overlap: (SEQ ID NO: 23) 5′-GGAGGGGGGAGGAACGCAT GATGCGCAGTCCGCGGT-3′

Sequences in italics are homologous to the 17 bp of the Trichoderma reesei cbh1 promoter and underlined sequences are homologous to the 29 bp of the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 coding region. The 36 bp overlap between the promoter and the coding sequence allowed precise fusion of the 994 bp fragment comprising the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A promoter to the 918 bp fragment comprising the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 open reading frame.

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer, 0.3 mM dNTPs, 1 μl of the purified 998 bp PCR fragment, 0.3 μM TrCBH1pro-F primer, 0.3 μM TrCBH1pro-R-overlap primer, and 2 units of Vent polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 5 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 50° C., and 60 seconds at 72° C., followed by 25 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 65° C., and 120 seconds at 72° C. (5 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 1017 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The 1017 bp Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 promoter PCR fragment and the 945 bp Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 PCR fragment were used as template DNA for subsequent amplification using the following primers to precisely fuse the 994 bp Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase Ipromoter to the 918 bp Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 coding region using overlapping PCR.

TrCBHIpro-F: (SEQ ID NO: 24) 5′-AAACGTCGACCGAATGTAGGATTGTTATC-3′ TrCBHIpro-F: (SEQ ID NO: 25) 5′-CTGCAGAATTCTACAGGCACTGATGGTACCAG-3′

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer, 0.3 mM dNTPs, 0.3 μM TrCBH1pro-F primer, 0.3 μM HiEGV-R primer, and 2 units of Vent polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 5 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 50° C., and 60 seconds at 72° C., followed by 25 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 65° C., and 120 seconds at 72° C. (5 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 1926 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The resulting 1926 bp fragment was cloned into pCR-Blunt-II-TOPO vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) using a ZeroBlunt TOPO PCR Cloning Kit following the manufacturer's protocol. The resulting plasmid was digested with Not I and Sal I and the 1926 bp fragment purified and ligated into pMJ04, which was also digested with the same two restriction enzymes, to generate pMJ05 (FIG. 6).

Example 5 Construction of pSMai135

The Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase coding region (WO 2002/095014, E. coli DSM 14240, minus the putative signal sequence, see FIG. 7, SEQ ID NOs: 26 and 27) from Lys-20 to the TAA stop codon was PCR amplified from pJaL660 (WO 2002/095014) as template with primer 993728 (sense) and primer 993727 (antisense) shown below. Sequences in italics are homologous to 20 bp of the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 signal sequence and sequences underlined are homologous to 22 bp of the Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase coding region. A Spe I site was engineered into the 5′ end of the antisense primer.

TrCBHIpro-F: (SEQ ID NO: 28) 5′-TGCCGGTGTTGGCCCTTGCC AAGGATGATCTCGCGTACTCCC-3′ Primer 993727: (SEQ ID NO: 29) 5′-GACTAGTCTTACTGGGCCTTAGGCAGCG-3′

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of Pfx Amplification Buffer, 0.25 mM dNTPs, 10 ng/μl pJaL660, 6.4 μM primer 993728, 3.2 μM primer 993727, 1 mM MgCl₂, and 2.5 units of Pfx polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 30 cycles each for 60 seconds at 94° C., 60 seconds at 55° C., and 180 seconds at 72° C. (15 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 2523 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

A separate PCR amplification was performed to amplify 1000 bp of the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 promoter and 63 bp of the putative Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 signal sequence (ATG start codon to Ala-21, FIG. 8, SEQ ID NOs: 30 (DNA sequence) and 31 (deduced amino acid sequence); accession no. AAB03660 for DNA sequence), using primer 993724 (sense) and primer 993729 (antisense) shown below. Primer sequences in italics are homologous to 20 bp of the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 signal sequence and underlined primer sequences are homologous to 22 bp of the Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase coding region. Plasmid pMJ05, which comprises the Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 coding region under the control of the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 promoter, was used as a template to generate a 1063 bp fragment comprising the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 promoter/Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 signal sequence fragment. A 42 bp of overlap was shared between the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A promoter/Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 signal sequence and the Aspergillus oryzae coding sequence to provide a perfect linkage between the promoter and the ATG start codon of the 2523 bp Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase.

Primer 993724: (SEQ ID NO: 32) 5′-ACGCGTCGACCGAATGTAGGATTGTTATCC-3′ Primer 993729: (SEQ ID NO: 33) 5′-GGGAGTACGCGAGATCATCCTT GGCAAGGGCCAACACCGGCA-3′

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of Pfx Amplification Buffer, 0.25 mM dNTPs, 10 ng/μl pMJ05, 6.4 μM primer 993728, 3.2 μM primer 993727, 1 mM MgCl₂, and 2.5 units of Pfx polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 30 cycles each for 60 seconds at 94° C., 60 seconds at 60° C., and 240 seconds at 72° C. (15 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 1063 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The purified overlapping fragments were used as a template for amplification using primer 993724 (sense) and primer 993727 (antisense) described above to precisely fuse the 1063 bp Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 promoter/Humicola insolens endoglucanase V5signal sequence fragment to the 2523 bp of Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase by overlapping PCR.

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of Pfx Amplification Buffer, 0.25 mM dNTPs, 6.4 μM primer 993724, 3.2 μM primer 993727, 1 mM MgCl₂, and 2.5 units of Pfx polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 30 cycles each for 60 seconds at 94° C., 60 seconds at 60° C., and 240 seconds at 72° C. (15 minute final extension). The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 3591 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The resulting 3591 bp fragment was digested with Sal I and Spe I and ligated into pMJ04 digested with the same restriction enzymes to generate pSMai135 (FIG. 9).

Example 6 Expression of Aspergillus oryzae Beta-Glucosidase in Trichoderma reesei

Plasmid pSMai135 encoding the mature Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase enzyme, linked to Humicola insolens endoglucanase 5 secretion signal (FIG. 8, SEQ ID NOs: 30 (DNA sequence) and 31 (deduced amino acid sequence), was introduced into Trichoderma reesei RutC30 by PEG-mediated transformation. The expression plasmid contains the Aspergillus nidulans amdS gene to enable transformants to grow on acetamide as the sole nitrogen source.

Protoplast preparation and transformation was performed using a modified protocol by Penttila et al., 1987, Gene 61: 155-164. Briefly, Trichoderma reesei RutC30 was cultivated at 27° C. and 90 rpm in 25 ml of YP medium supplemented with 2% (w/v) glucose and 10 mM uridine for 17 hours. Mycelia was collected by filtration using Millipore's Vacuum Driven Disposable Filtration System (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.) and washed twice with deionized water and twice with 1.2 M sorbitol. Protoplasts were generated by suspending the washed mycelia in 20 ml of 1.2 M sorbitol containing 15 mg of Glucanex (Novozymes A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) per ml and 0.36 units of chitinase (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo.) per ml and incubating for 15-25 minutes at 34° C. with gentle shaking at 90 rpm. Protoplasts were collected by centrifuging for 7 minutes at 400×g and washed twice with cold 1.2 M sorbitol. The protoplasts were counted using a haemacytometer and re-suspended in STC to a final concentration of 1×10⁸ protoplasts per ml. Excess protoplasts were stored in a Cryo 1° C. Freezing Container (Nalgene, Rochester, N.Y.) at −80° C.

Approximately 7 μg of pSMai135 digested with Pme I was added to 100 μl of protoplast solution and mixed gently, followed by 260 μl of PEG buffer, mixed, and incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes. STC (3 ml) was then added, mixed and the transformation solution was plated onto COVE plates using Aspergillus nidulans amdS selection. The plates were incubated at 28° C. for 5-7 days. Transformants were sub-cultured onto COVE2 plates and grown at 28° C.

Sixty-seven transformants (SMA135-01 to SMA135-67) harboring the Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase gene were randomly selected and cultured in 125 ml baffled shake flasks containing 25 ml of cellulase-inducing media at 28° C. and 200 rpm for 7 days. Trichoderma reesei RutC30 was run as a control. Culture broth samples were removed 7 days post-inoculation, centrifuged at 15,700×g for 5 minutes in a micro-centrifuge, and the supernatants transferred to new tubes. Samples were stored at 4° C. until enzyme assay. The supernatants were assayed for beta-glucosidase activity using p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside as substrate, as described above.

A number of SMA135 transformants showed beta-glucosidase activities several fold more than that of Trichoderma reesei RutC30. Transformant SMA135-04 produced the highest beta-glucosidase activity having 7 times more beta-glucosidase activity than produced by Trichoderma reesei RutC30 as a control.

SDS polyacrylamide electrophoresis was carried out using Criterion Tris-HCl (5% resolving) gels (BioRad, Hercules, Calif.) with The Criterion System (BioRad, Hercules, Calif.). Five μl of day 7 supernatants (see above) were suspended in 2× concentration of Laemmli Sample Buffer (BioRad, Hercules, Calif.) and boiled for 3 minutes in the presence of 5% beta-mercaptoethanol. The supernatant samples were loaded onto a polyacrylamide gel and subjected to electrophoresis with 1× Tris/Glycine/SDS as running buffer (BioRad, Hercules, Calif.). The resulting gel was stained with BioRad's Bio-Safe Coomassie Stain.

Twenty-six of the 67 Trichoderma reesei SMA135 transformants produced a protein of approximately 110 kDa that was not visible in the host strain, Trichoderma reesei RutC30. Trichoderma reesei transformant, SMA135-04, produced the highest level of beta-glucosidase.

Example 7 Production of Recombinant Aspergillus oryzae Beta-Glucosidase in Trichoderma reesei by Fermentation

Fermentation was performed on Trichoderma reesei strain SMA135-04 to produce quantities of Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase. Trichoderma reesei RutC30 (host strain) was run as a control. Fermentations were performed using the standard conditions as described by Mandels and Weber, 1969, Adv. Chem. Ser. 95: 391-413) on 2% cellulose. The fermentations ran for 165 hours at which time the final fermentation broths were centrifuged and the supernatants stored at −20° C. until beta-glucosidase activity assay using the procedure described earlier.

Beta-glucosidase activity on the Trichoderma reesei SMA135-04 fermentation sample was determined to be approximately 8 times more active than that of Trichoderma reesei RutC30.

Example 8 Identification of a Beta-Glucosidase Family GH3A Gene in the Genomic Sequence of Aspergillus fumigatus

A Blast search (Altschul et al., 1997, Nucleic Acids Res. 25: 3389-3402) of the Aspergillus fumigatus partial genome sequence (The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Md.) was carried out using as query a beta-glucosidase protein sequence from Aspergillus aculeatus (Accession No. P48825). Several genes were identified as putative Family GH3A homologs based upon a high degree of similarity to the query sequence at the amino acid level. One genomic region of approximately 3000 bp with greater than 70% identity to the query sequence at the amino acid level was chosen for further study.

Example 9 Aspergillus fumigatus Genomic DNA Extraction

Aspergillus fumigatus was grown in 250 ml of potato dextrose medium in a baffled shake flask at 37° C. and 240 rpm. Mycelia were harvested by filtration, washed twice in TE (10 mM Tris-1 mM EDTA), and frozen under liquid nitrogen. Frozen mycelia were ground, by mortar and pestle, to a fine powder, which was resuspended in pH 8.0 buffer containing 10 mM Tris, 100 mM EDTA, 1% Triton X-100, 0.5 M guanidine-HCl, and 200 mM NaCl. DNase free RNase A was added at a concentration of 20 mg/liter and the lysate was incubated at 37° C. for 30 minutes. Cellular debris was removed by centrifugation, and DNA was isolated by using a Qiagen Maxi 500 column (QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.). The columns were equilibrated in 10 ml of QBT washed with 30 ml of QC, and eluted with 15 ml of QF (all buffers from QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.). DNA was precipitated in isopropanol, washed in 70% ethanol, and recovered by centrifugation. The DNA was resuspended in TE buffer.

Example 10 Construction of pAlLo2 Expression Vector

The amdS gene of pAlLo1 (Example 1) was swapped with the Aspergillus nidulans pyrG gene. Plasmid pBANe10 (FIG. 11) was used as a source for the pyrg gene. Analysis of the sequence of pBANe10 showed that the pyrG marker was contained within an Nsi I restriction fragment and does not contain either Nco I or Pac I restriction sites. Since the amdS is also flanked by Nsi I restriction sites the strategy to switch the selection marker was a simple swap of Nsi I restriction fragments. Plasmid DNA from pAlLo1 and pBANe10 were digested with the restriction enzyme Nsi I and the products purified by agarose gel electrophoresis using standard procedures. The Nsi I fragment from pBANe10 containing the pyrG gene was ligated to the backbone of pAlLo1 to replace the original Nsi I DNA fragment containing the amdS gene. Recombinant clones were analyzed by restriction digest to determine whether they had the correct insert and correct orientation. A clone with the pyrg gene transcribed in the counterclockwise direction was selected. The new plasmid was designated pAlLo2 (FIG. 12).

Example 11 Cloning of the Family GH3A Beta-Glucosidase Gene and Construction of an Aspergillus oryzae Expression Vector

Two synthetic oligonucleotide primers shown below were designed to PCR amplify a Aspergillus fumigatus gene encoding a Family GH3A beta-glucosidase from the genomic DNA prepared in Example 9. An InFusion Cloning Kit (BD Biosciences, Palo Alto, Calif.) was used to clone the fragment directly into the expression vector, pAlLo2, without the need for restriction digests and ligation.

Forward primer: (SEQ ID NO: 34) 5′-ACTGGATTTACCATGAGATTCGGTTGGCTCG-3′ Reverse primer: (SEQ ID NO: 35) 5′-AGTCACCTCTAGTTACTAGTAGACACGGGGC-3′ Bold letters represent coding sequence. The remaining sequence is homologous to the insertion sites of pAlLo2.

Fifty picomoles of each of the primers above were used in a PCR reaction containing 100 ng of Aspergillus fumigatus genomic DNA, 1× Pfx Amplification Buffer (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.), 1.5 μl of 10 mM blend of dATP, dTTP, dGTP, and dCTP, 2.5 units of Platinum Pfx DNA Polymerase (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.), 1 μl of 50 mM MgSO₄ and 2.5 μl of 10×pCRx Enhancer solution (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) in a final volume of 50 μl. The amplification conditions were one cycle at 94° C. for 2 minutes; 30 cycles each at 94° C. for 15 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, and 68° C. for 3 minutes. The heat block then went to a 4° C. soak cycle.

The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 3 kb product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The fragment was then cloned into the pAlLo2 expression vector using an Infusion Cloning Kit. The vector was digested with restriction endonucleases Nco I and Pac I (using conditions specified by the manufacturer). The fragment was purified by gel electrophoresis and QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit. The gene fragment and digested vector were ligated together in a reaction resulting in the expression plasmid pEJG97 (FIG. 13) in which transcription of the Family GH3A beta-glucosidase gene was under the control of the NA2-tpi promoter. The ligation reaction (50 μl) was composed of 1× InFusion Buffer (BD Biosciences, Palo Alto, Calif.), 1×BSA (BD Biosciences, Palo Alto, Calif.), 1 μl of Infusion enzyme (diluted 1:10) (BD Biosciences, Palo Alto, Calif.), 150 ng of pAlLo2 digested with Nco I and Pac 1, and 50 ng of the Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase purified PCR product. The reaction was incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes. One μl of the reaction was used to transform E. coli XL10 Solopac Gold cells (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.). An E. coli transformant containing the pEJG97 plasmid was detected by restriction digestion and plasmid DNA was prepared using a BioRobot 9600 (QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.)

Example 12 Characterization of the Aspergillus fumigatus Genomic Sequence Encoding a Family GH3A Beta-Glucosidase

DNA sequencing of the Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase gene from pEJG97 was performed with a Perkin-Elmer Applied Biosystems Model 377 XL Automated DNA Sequencer (Perkin-Elmer/Applied Biosystems, Inc., Foster City, Calif.) using dye-terminator chemistry (Giesecke et al., 1992, Journal of Virology Methods 38: 47-60) and primer walking strategy. Nucleotide sequence data were scrutinized for quality and all sequences were compared to each other with assistance of PHRED/PHRAP software (University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.).

A gene model for the Aspergillus fumigatus sequence was constructed based on similarity to homologous genes from Aspergillus aculeatus, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus kawachii. The nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO: 36) and deduced amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 37) are shown in FIG. 10. The genomic fragment encodes a polypeptide of 863 amino acids, interrupted by 8 introns of 62, 55, 58, 63, 58, 58, 63 and 51 bp. The % G+C content of the gene is 54.3%. Using the SignalP software program (Nielsen et al., 1997, Protein Engineering 10: 1-6), a signal peptide of 19 residues was predicted. The predicted mature protein contains 844 amino acids with a molecular mass of 91.7 kDa.

A comparative alignment of beta-glucosidase sequences was determined using the Clustal W method (Higgins, 1989, CABIOS 5: 151-153) using the LASERGENE™ MEGALIGN™ software (DNASTAR, Inc., Madison, Wis.) with an identity table and the following multiple alignment parameters: Gap penalty of 10 and gap length penalty of 10. Pairwise alignment parameters were Ktuple=1, gap penalty=3, windows=5, and diagonals=5. The alignment showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of the Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase gene shared 78%, 76%, and 76% identity to the deduced amino acid sequences of the Aspergillus aculeatus (accession number P48825), Aspergillus niger (accession number O00089), and Aspergillus kawachii (accession number P87076) beta-glucosidases.

Example 13 Expression of the Aspergillus fumigatus Family GH3A Beta-Glucosidase Gene in Aspergillus oryzae JaL250

Aspergillus oryzae JaL250 protoplasts were prepared according to the method of Christensen et al., 1988, Bio/Technology 6: 1419-1422. Five μg of pEJG97 (as well as pAlLo2 as a vector control) was used to transform Aspergillus oryzae JaL250.

The transformation of Aspergillus oryzae JaL250 with pEJG97 yielded about 100 transformants. Ten transformants were isolated to individual PDA plates.

Confluent PDA plates of five of the ten transformants were washed with 5 ml of 0.01% Tween 20 and inoculated separately into 25 ml of MDU2BP medium in 125 ml glass shake flasks and incubated at 34° C., 250 rpm. Five days after incubation, 0.5 μl of supernatant from each culture was analyzed using 8-16% Tris-Glycine SDS-PAGE gels (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions. SDS-PAGE profiles of the cultures showed that one of the transformants (designated transformant 1) had a major band of approximately 130 kDa.

A confluent plate of transformant 1 (grown on PDA) was washed with 10 ml of 0.01% Tween 20 and inoculated into a 2 liter Fernbach containing 400 ml of MDU2BP medium to generate broth for characterization of the enzyme. The flask was harvested on day 5 and filtered using a 0.22 μm GP Express plus Membrane (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.).

Prior to hydrolysis experiments, Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) was desalted and exchanged to 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 buffer, using a Centricon Plus-20 centrifugal filter with Biomax-5 membrane (5000 NMWL; Millipore, Bedford, Mass.).

Example 14 Construction of pMJ09

Vector pMJ06 was constructed by PCR amplifying the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase 1 gene (cbh1) promoter from Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA using primers 993696 (antisense) and 993695 (sense) shown below. The antisense primer was engineered to have a Sal I site at the 5′-end of the sense primer and an Nco I site at the 5′-end of the antisense primer.

Primer 993695 (sense): (SEQ ID NO: 38) 5′-ACTAGTCGACCGAATGTAGGATTGTT-3′ Primer 993696 (antisense): (SEQ ID NO: 39) 5′-TGACCATGGTGCGCAGTCC-3′

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer, 0.3 mM dNTPs, 100 ng Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA (which was prepared using a QIAGEN DNeasy Plant Maxi Kit), 0.3 μM primer 993696, 0.3 μM primer 993695, and 2 units of Vent polymerase. The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 30 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 55° C., and 60 seconds at 72° C. (15 minute final extension).

The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 988 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAGEN QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The resulting PCR fragment was digested with Nco I and Sal I and ligated into pMJ04 digested with the same restriction enzymes, using a Rapid Ligation Kit, to generate pMJ06 (FIG. 14).

Expression vector pMJ09 was constructed by PCR amplifying the Trichoderma reesei Cel7A cellobiohydrolase Igene (cbh1) terminator from Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA using primers 993843 (antisense) and 99344 (sense) shown below. The antisense primer was engineered to have a Pac I and a Spe I sites at the 5′-end and a Pvu I site at the 5′-end of the sense primer.

Primer 993844 (sense): (SEQ ID NO: 40) 5′-CGATCGTCTCCCTATGGGTCATTACC-3′ Primer 993843 (antisense): (SEQ ID NO: 41) 5′-ACTAGTTAATTAAGCTCCGTGGCGAAAG-3′

The amplification reactions (50 μl) were composed of 1× ThermoPol Reaction Buffer, 0.3 mM dNTPs, 100 ng of Trichoderma reesei RutC30 genomic DNA (which was extracted using a QIAGEN DNeasy Plant Maxi Kit), 0.3 μM primer 993844, 0.3 μM primer 993843, and 2 units of Vent polymerase The reactions were incubated in an Eppendorf Mastercycler 5333 programmed as follows: 30 cycles each for 30 seconds at 94° C., 30 seconds at 55° C., and 60 seconds at 72° C. (15 minute final extension).

The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 473 bp product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAGEN QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The resulting PCR fragment was digested with Pvu I and Spe I and ligated into pMJ06, digested with Pac I and Spe I using a Rapid Ligation Kit, to generate pMJ09 (FIG. 15).

Example 15 Cloning, Characterization, and Expression of the Family 7 Trichoderma reesei Endoglucanse (eg1) Gene

Two synthetic oligonucleotide primers shown below were designed to PCR amplify a Trichoderma reesei gene encoding a putative Family 7 endoglucanase from cDNA prepared from Trichoderma reesei RutC30 by using a Cells-to-cDNA Kit (Ambion, Austin, Tex.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Forward primer: (SEQ ID NO: 42) 5′-CTTCACCATGGCGCCCTCAGTTACACTGC-3′ Reverse primer: (SEQ ID NO: 43) 5′-GCCGTTAATTAAGGCAAGTCAACGCTCTAAAGG-3′

Fifty picomoles of each of the primers above were used in a PCR reaction containing 100 ng of Trichoderma reesei cDNA, 1×Pwo Amplification Buffer (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.), 4 μl of 10 mM blend of dATP, dTTP, dGTP, and dCTP, and 2.5 units of Pwo DNA Polymerase (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.) in a final volume of 50 μl. The amplification conditions were 1 cycle at 94° C. for 2 minutes; 35 cycles each at 94° C. for 15 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds, and 72° C. for 2 minutes. The heat block then went to a 4° C. soak cycle.

The reaction products were isolated on a 1.0% agarose gel using TAE buffer where a 1.5 kb product band was excised from the gel and purified using a QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit (QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions.

The fragment was then cloned into pAlLo2. Both fragment and vector were digested with Nco I and Pac I, and then were purified by gel electrophoresis and Qiaquick gel purification. The digested gene fragment and vector were ligated together in a reaction resulting in the expression plasmid pJZHEG1 (FIG. 16) in which transcription of the eg1 gene was under the control of the TAKA promoter. The ligation reaction (40 μl) was composed of 1× ligation Buffer (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.), 1×DNA dilution Buffer (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.), 5.0 units of T4 DNA ligase enzyme (Roche, Indianapolis, Ind.), 100 ng of pAlLo2 digested with Nco I and Pac I, and 100 ng of the Trichoderma reesei eg1 PCR product. The reaction was incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes. One μl of the reaction was used to transform E. coli XL10 Solopac Gold cells (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.). An E. coli transformant containing the pJZHEG1 plasmid was detected by restriction digestion and plasmid DNA was prepared using a BioRobot 9600 (QIAGEN Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.).

DNA sequencing of the Trichoderma reesei eg1 from pJZHEG1 was performed with a Perkin-Elmer Applied Biosystems Model 377 XL Automated DNA Sequencer (Perkin-Elmer/Applied Biosystems, Inc., Foster City, Calif.) using dye-terminator chemistry according to the manufacturer's instructions. Nucleotide sequence data were scrutinized for quality and all sequences were compared to each other with assistance of PHRED/PHRAP software (University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.). A comparative alignment of eg1 sequence was determined using the Clustal W method (Higgins, 1989, CABIOS 5: 151-153) with the Vector NTI software (InfoMax, San Francisco, Calif.). The alignment indicated that the deduced amino acid sequence of the Trichoderma reesei eg1 gene is identical to the deduced amino acid sequence of the Trichoderma reesei EG1 (accession number AAA34212, Penttila et al., 1986, Gene 45: 253-263).

Aspergillus oryzae JaL250 protoplasts were prepared according to the method of Christensen et al., 1988, supra. Five μg of pJZHEG1 (as well as pAlLo2 as a vector control) was used to transform Aspergillus oryzae JaL250.

The transformation of Aspergillus oryzae JaL250 with pJZHEG1 yielded about 40 transformants per μg DNA. Twenty transformants were isolated to individual PDA plates. Each plate was washed with 5 ml of 0.01% Tween 20 and inoculated separately into 25 ml of MDU2BP medium in 125 ml glass shake flasks and incubated at 34° C., 250 rpm. Five days after incubation, 0.5 μl of supernatant from each culture was analyzed using 8-16% Tris-Glycine SDS-PAGE gels (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions. SDS-PAGE profiles of the cultures showed that one of the transformants (designated transformant 9) had a major band of approximately 58 kDa.

A confluent plate of transformant 9 (grown on PDA) was washed with 10 ml of 0.01% Tween 20 and inoculated into a 2 liter Fernbach containing 400 ml of MDU2BP medium to generate broth for characterization of the enzyme. The flask was harvested on day 5 and filtered using a 0.22 μm GP Express plus Membrane (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.). Endoglucanase activity was determined as described herein.

Prior to hydrolysis experiments, Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase 1 (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) was desalted and exchanged into 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 buffer using a Centricon Plus-20 centrifugal filter with Biomax-5 membrane (5000 NMWL; Millipore, Bedford, Mass.).

Example 16 Preparation of Pretreated Corn Stover

Corn stover was pretreated at the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) using dilute sulfuric acid. The following conditions were used for the pretreatment: 1.4 wt % sulfuric acid at 165° C. and 107 psi for 8 minutes. The water-insoluble solids in the pretreated corn stover (PCS) contained 56.5% cellulose, 4.6% hemicellulose and 28.4% lignin. Cellulose and hemicellulose were determined by a two-stage sulfuric acid hydrolysis with subsequent analysis of sugars by high performance liquid chromatography using NREL Standard Analytical Procedure #002. Lignin was determined gravimetrically after hydrolyzing the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions with sulfuric acid using NREL Standard Analytical Procedure #003. Prior to enzymatic hydrolysis, the PCS was washed with a large volume of DDI water on a glass filter. The dry weight of the water-washed PCS was found to be 24.54%.

Example 17 Preparation of Lignacious Residue

Lignacious residue was prepared by incubating 5% PCS with cell-free filtered fermentation broth of Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Trichoderma reesei) at 10 mg per g of PCS under constant stirring in a 900-ml reaction for 6 days at pH 5.0, 50° C. After hydrolysis, liquid hydrolysate was removed by centrifugation at 3836×g for 10 minutes, and the solid lignin-enriched residue was washed four times with 250 ml of deionized water. The residue was then incubated for 5 days in 250 ml of deionized water under constant stirring at 65° C. to inactivate any remaining adsorbed enzyme. After additional washing with deionized water followed by centrifugation as described above, approximately 100 ml of a 15% suspension of lignaceous residue in deionized water was obtained.

Example 18 Sugar Analysis

Twenty μl aliquots were removed from PCS hydrolysis reactions at specified time points using an 8-channel pipettor, and added to 180 μl of alkaline mixture (102 mM Na₂CO₃ plus 58 mM NaHCO₃) in a MultiScreen HV 96-well filtration plate (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.) to terminate the reaction. The samples were vacuum-filtered into another flat-bottomed microplate to remove the PCS residue. After appropriate dilution, the filtrates were analyzed for reducing sugar (RS) using p-hydroxybenzoic acid hydrazide (PHBAH) assay (Lever M., 1973, Colorimetric and fluorometric carbohydrate determination with p-hydroxybenzoic acid hydrazide, Biochemical Medicine 7: 274-281) in a microplate format.

A 90-μl aliquot of the diluted sample was placed into each well of a 96-well conical-bottomed microplate (Corning Inc., Acton, Mass., Costar, clear polycarbonate). The assay was started by adding 60 μl of 1.25% PHBAH in 2% sodium hydroxide to each well. The uncovered plate was heated on a custom-made heating block for 10 minutes at 95° C. After the microplate was cooled to room temperature, 35 μl of deionized water was added to each well. A 100-μl aliquot was removed from each well and transferred to a flat-bottomed 96-well plate (Corning Inc., Acton, Mass., Costar, medium binding polystyrene). The absorbance at 410 nm (A₄₁₀) was measured using a SpectraMAX Microplate Reader (Molecular Devices, Sunnyvale, Calif.). The A₄₁₀ value was translated into glucose equivalents using a standard curve.

The standard curve was obtained with six glucose standards (0.005, 0.010, 0.025, 0.050, 0.075, and 0.100 mg/ml), which were treated similarly to the samples. Glucose standards were prepared by diluting 10 mg/ml stock glucose solution with deionized water.

The degree of cellulose conversion to reducing sugar (hydrolysis yield, %) was calculated using the following equation:

$\begin{matrix} {{{RS}\mspace{14mu}{Yield}_{(\%)}} = {{RS}_{({{mg}/{ml}})} \star 100 \star {162/\left( {{Cellulose}_{({{mg}/{ml}})} \star 180} \right)}}} \\ {= {{RS}_{({{mg}/{ml}})} \star {100/\left( {{Cellulose}_{({{mg}/{ml}})} \star 1.111} \right)}}} \end{matrix}$ In this equation, RS is the concentration of reducing sugar in solution measured in glucose equivalents (mg/ml), and the factor 1.111 reflects the weight gain in converting cellulose to glucose.

Example 19 Enhanced Production of Sugars from PCS Using Softanol® 90 Non-Ionic Surfactant at 50° C.

Hydrolysis of PCS (5% w/v on a dry weight basis) by Celluclast 1.5 L (2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mg/g PCS) supplemented with desalted and buffer exchanged Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) at 0.6 mg per g of PCS was carried out in 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 in a 10-ml volume with intermittent stirring at 50° C. Samples were taken at different time-points and analyzed for reducing sugars as described in Example 18. Reactions containing Celluclast 1.5 L at 2.5 and 5 mg per g of PCS were supplemented with 0.5% v/v Softanol® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS), and the results were compared with control reactions without the surfactant.

The results as shown in Table 2 and FIG. 17 demonstrated that addition of Softanols 90 increased the hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars after incubation for 125 hours from 70% to 86% for reactions with 2.5 mg Celluclast/g PCS (23% improvement), and from 83% to 94% for reactions with 5 mg Celluclast/g PCS (14% improvement). Using Softanol® 90, it was possible to reduce the enzyme loading by a factor of two compared to reactions without the surfactant, while achieving the same 125 hour hydrolysis yield.

TABLE 2 Effect of Softanol ® 90 and Lutensol ® AT80 (0.1 ml/g PCS) on Hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L at 50° C. Sur- Sur- factant, 125-hour Improve- factant, ml/g Conver- ment at Reaction % PCS sion, % 125 h, % Celluclast (2.5 mg/g PCS) 0.0 0.0 70 NA Celluclast (5 mg/g PCS) 0.0 0.0 83 NA Celluclast (10 mg/g PCS) 0.0 0.0 97 NA Celluclast (20 mg/g PCS) 0.0 0.0 96 NA Celluclast (2.5 mg/g PCS) + 0.5 0.1 86 23 Softanol ® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS) Celluclast (5 mg/g PCS) + 0.5 0.1 94 14 Softanol ® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS) Celluclast (2.5 mg/g PCS) + 0.5 0.1 82 17 Lutensol ® AT80 (0.1 ml/g PCS) Celluclast (5 mg/g PCS) + 0.5 0.1 90  9 Lutensol ® AT80 (0.1 ml/g PCS)

Example 20 Enhanced Production of Sugars from PCS using Lutensol® AT80 Non-Ionic Surfactant at 50° C.

Example 19 was repeated, except that Lutensol® AT80 was used at 0.1 ml/g PCS (0.5% v/v).

The results as shown in Table 2 and FIG. 18 demonstrated that addition of Lutensol® AT80 increased the 125-hour hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars from 70% to 82% for reactions with 2.5 mg Celluclast/g PCS (17% improvement), and from 83% to 90% for reactions with 5 mg Celluclast/g PCS (9% improvement).

Example 21 Enhanced Production of Sugars from PCS using Softanol® 90 at 50° C. and 55° C.

Example 19 was repeated, except that additional loading of Celluclast 1.5 L was included (1.25 mg/g PCS), Softanol® 90 was used at 0.2 ml/g PCS (1.0% v/v), and the hydrolysis was run at two temperatures, 50° C. and 55° C. Softanol® 90 was added to the reactions containing 1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg of Celluclast 1.5 L per g of PCS, and the results were compared with control reactions without the surfactant. The results are shown in Table 3 and FIGS. 19 and 20.

At 50° C., addition of Softanol® 90 increased the 120-hour hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars by 14-20% compared to reactions without the surfactant. FIG. 19 shows that in the presence of Softanol® 90, the enzyme loading could be reduced by a factor of two compared to reactions without the surfactant while maintaining the same hydrolysis yield.

At 55° C., Softanol® 90 showed more significant improvement than at 50° C. Addition of Softanol® 90 at 55° C. increased the 120-hour hydrolysis yields of reducing sugars by 36-59% compared to reactions without the surfactant. FIG. 20 shows that in the presence of Softanol® 90, four times lower enzyme loadings compared to reactions without the surfactant could achieve comparable hydrolysis yields of reducing sugars.

TABLE 3 Effect of Softanol ® 90 (0.2 ml/g PCS) on Hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L at 50° C. and 55° C. Softanol ® 90, ml/g 120-hour Improvement T° C. Reaction PCS Conversion % at 120 h, % 50 Celluclast (1.25 mg/g PCS) 0.0 52 NA Celluclast (2.5 mg/g PCS) 0.0 64 NA Celluclast (5 mg/g PCS) 0.0 80 NA Celluclast (10 mg/g PCS) 0.0 92 NA Celluclast (20 mg/g PCS) 0.0 98 NA Celluclast (1.25 mg/g PCS) + 0.2 62 20 Softanol ® 90 Celluclast (2.5 mg/g PCS) + 0.2 75 17 Softanol ® 90 Celluclast (5 mg/g PCS) + 0.2 91 14 Softanol ® 90 55 Celluclast (1.25 mg/g PCS) 0.0 36 NA Celluclast (2.5 mg/g PCS) 0.0 42 NA Celluclast (5 mg/g PCS) 0.0 60 NA Celluclast (10 mg/g PCS) 0.0 78 NA Celluclast (20 mg/g PCS) 0.0 83 NA Celluclast (1.25 mg/g PCS) + 0.2 57 59 Softanol ® 90 Celluclast (2.5 mg/g PCS) + 0.2 65 54 Softanol ® 90 Celluclast (5 mg/g PCS) + 0.2 82 36 Softanol ® 90

Example 22 Softanol® 90 Dose Dependence for Hydrolysis of PCS by Celluclast 1.5 L at 50° C.

Example 19 was repeated, except that Softanol® 90 was added at 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 ml/g PCS to reactions with 2 mg of Celluclast 1.5 L per g of PCS, and desalted and buffer exchanged Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) was added at 3% of Celluclast loading (0.6 mg/g PCS).

The results are shown in Table 4 and FIG. 21. The optimal loading of Softanol® 90 was found to be 0.1 ml per g of PCS, which corresponded to a Softanol® 90 concentration of 0.5% v/v.

TABLE 4 Softanol ® 90 Dose Dependence for Hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Celluclast 1.5 L (2 mg/g PCS) at 50° C. Softanol ® 90, Softanol ® 90, 120-hour Improvement Reaction % ml/g PCS Conversion, % at 120 h, % Celluclast (2 mg/g 0.0 0.0 60 NA PCS) Celluclast (2 mg/g 0.25 0.05 72 21 PCS) + Softanol ® 90 0.5 0.1 78 30 1.0 0.2 72 20 1.5 0.3 67 13 2.0 0.4 67 13

Example 23 Enhanced Production of Sugars from PCS Using Different Softanol® Products at 50° C.

Example 22 was repeated, except that different Softanol® products, Softanol® 50, 90, 120, or 200, with increasing degree of ethoxylation and increasing hydrophilic/lipophilic balance (HLB) values were added at 0.2 ml per g of PCS (1.0% v/v) to reactions with 2 mg of Celluclast 1.5 L per g of PCS.

FIG. 22 shows that all Softanol® products performed similarly, increasing the final hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars by 17-30% compared to reactions without surfactants.

Example 24 Effect of Softanol® 90 on Hydrolysis of PCS by Celluclast 1.5 L and Trichoderma reesei Fermentation Broth Expressing Aspergillus oryzae Beta-Glucosidase at 50° C.

Example 22 was repeated, except that Softanol® 90 was added at 0.2 ml per g of PCS (1.0% v/v) to reactions with Celluclast 1.5 L (2 mg/g PCS) supplemented with desalted and buffer exchanged Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) at 0.06 mg per g of PCS or to reactions with cell-free filtered fermentation broth of Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Trichoderma reesei) at 2 mg per g of PCS.

Without Softanol® 90, both enzymes performed similarly. FIG. 23 shows that the addition of Softanol® 90 provided a comparable boosting effect for both enzymes.

Example 25 Enhancing Effect of Softanol® 90 on Hydrolysis of PCS by Trichoderma reesei CBHI at 40-65° C.

Trichoderma reesei cellobiohydrolase 1 (CBHI) was isolated and purified to homogeneity from Celluclast 1.5 L using methods described by Suurnäkki et al., 2000, Cellulose 7: 189-209.

Hydrolysis of ethanol-washed/milled PCS (1% w/v on a dry weight basis) by purified Trichoderma reesei CBHI (2, 5, and 10 mg/g PCS) was carried out in 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 in a 0.5-ml volume with intermittent stirring at 40° C., 50° C., 55° C., 60° C., and 65° C. Samples were taken at different time-points and analyzed for reducing sugars as described in Example 18. Reactions containing Trichoderma reesei CBHI at 2 mg/g PCS were supplemented with 0.1% v/v Softanol® 90 (0.1 ml/g PCS), and the results were compared with control reactions run without the surfactant.

The results are shown in FIG. 24. At 55° C., addition of Softanol® 90 increased the 24-hour hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars by 94% compared to reaction without the surfactant (from 6.1% to 11.9%). Achieving a comparable hydrolysis yield in the absence of Softanol® 90 required 2.5 times higher enzyme loading (5 mg/g PCS).

Example 26 Enhancing Effect of Softanol® 90 on Hydrolysis of PCS by (Trichoderma reesei CBHI plus Aspergillus fumigatus Beta-Glucosidase) Mixture at 40-65° C.

Example 25 was repeated, except that Trichoderma reesei CBHI was supplemented with desalted and buffer exchanged Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) at 5% of the CBHI protein loading (0.1, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/g PCS).

The results as shown in FIG. 25 demonstrated that at 55° C., addition of Softanol® 90 increased the 24-hour hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars by 115% compared to reaction without the surfactant (from 9.8% to 21.1%). Achieving comparable hydrolysis yield in the absence of Softanol® 90 required 2.5 times higher enzyme loading (5 mg/g PCS).

Example 27 Enhancing Effect of Softanol® 90 on Hydrolysis of PCS by Trichoderma reesei CBHI Plus Trichoderma reesei EGI Plus Aspergillus fumigatus Beta-Glucosidase Mixture at 40-65° C.

Example 25 was repeated, except that Trichoderma reesei CBHI (2, 5, 10, and 20 mg/g PCS) was supplemented with desalted and buffer exchanged Trichoderma reesei endoglucanase 1 (EGI; recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) at 20% of the CBHI protein loading (0.4, 1, 2, and 4 mg/g PCS) and desalted and buffer exchanged Aspergillus fumigatus beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) at 5% of CBHI protein loading (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/g PCS).

The results are shown in FIG. 26. At 55° C., addition of Softanol® 90 increased the 24-hour hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars by 132% compared to reaction without the surfactant (from 11.9% to 27.6%). The resulting hydrolysis yield was higher than that obtained using 2.5 times higher enzyme loading (5 mg/g PCS) in the absence of Softanol® 90 (27.6% vs. 21.3%).

Example 28 Enhancing Effect of Softanol® 90 on Hydrolysis of PCS by Trichoderma reesei CBHI Plus Acidothermus Cellulolyticus E1cd Plus Aspergillus fumigatus Beta-Glucosidase Mixture at 40-65° C.

Example 27 was repeated, except that bacterial endoglucanase, Acidothermus cellulolyticus E1cd obtained from NREL, was used instead of fungal endoglucanase, Trichoderma reesei EGI. Acidothermus cellulolyticus E1cd was expressed from Streptomyces lividans TK24 acccording to U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,944. A truncated form of this enzyme was produced by subjecting the Streptomyces lividans-expressed enzyme to proteolytic treatment to remove the cellulose-binding domain (Baker et al., 1995, in Enzymatic Degradation of Insoluble Polysaccharides, Saddler, J. N. and Penner, M. H., eds., ACS Series 618, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 113-141).

The results as shown in FIG. 27 demonstrated that at 55° C., addition of Softanol® 90 increased the 24-hour hydrolysis yield of reducing sugars by 70% compared to reaction without the surfactant (from 22.2% to 37.7%). The resulting hydrolysis yield was higher than that obtained using 2.5 times higher enzyme loading (5 mg/g PCS) in the absence of Softanol® 90 (37.7% vs. 33%).

Example 29 Effect of Softanol® 90 on Hydrolysis of Avicel by Celluclast 1.5 L at 50° C.

Hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose, Avicel PH101 (1% w/v on a dry weight basis, FMC Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa.) by Celluclast 1.5 L (1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 mg/g cellulose) supplemented with desalted and buffer exchanged Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Aspergillus oryzae) at 0.6 mg per g of cellulose was carried out in 50 mM sodium acetate pH 5.0 in a 1-ml volume with intermittent stirring at 50° C. Samples were taken at different time-points and analyzed for reducing sugars as described in Example 18. Reactions containing Celluclast 1.5 L at 1.25, 2.5 and 5 mg/g cellulose were supplemented with Softanol® 90 at 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 ml/g cellulose, and the results were compared with control reactions without the surfactant.

FIG. 28 shows that Softanol® 90 had no significant boosting effect on hydrolysis of Avicel under the above conditions.

Example 30 Enhanced Production of Sugars from PCS Using Non-Ionic Surfactants at 50° C.

Hydrolysis of water-washed/milled PCS (5% w/v on a dry weight basis) by cell-free filtered fermentation broth of Aspergillus oryzae beta-glucosidase (recombinantly produced in Trichoderma reesei) at 2 mg per g of PCS was carried out in the presence of various non-ionic surfactants (0.1 ml/g PCS) as shown in Table 5 in a 2-ml volume with intermittent stirring at pH 5.0, 50° C. for 71 hours. Samples were taken at different time-points and analyzed for reducing sugars as described in Example 18. The results were compared to a control reaction containing no surfactant.

Table 5 shows that addition of surfactants increased the 71-hour hydrolysis yield of reducing suger from 60% (no surfactant) to 63-19% (4-19% improvement).

TABLE 5 Effect of Non-Ionic Surfactants (0.1 ml/g PCS) on Hydrolysis of PCS (5%) by Trichoderma reesei Fermentation Broth with Expressed Aspergillus oryzae Beta-Glucosidase (2 mg/g PCS) at 50° C. Improvement at 71 Surfactant 71-hour Conversion, % hours, % None 60 NA Softanol ® 50 66 8.7 Softanol ® 90 72 18.8 Softanol ® 120 69 14.8 Softanol ® 200 71 18.3 Lutensol ® AT50 71 18.3 Lutensol ® AT80 69 13.8 Tergitol ™ NP-9 66 10.2 Novell ™ II TDA-6.6 70 16.5 Novell ™ II TDA-8.5 69 14.4 Brij ™ 35 70 16.1 Brij ™ 56 70 16.5 Brij ™ 97 63 3.9 Brij ™ 98 71 18.4 Pluronic ® F-68 71 18.1

Deposit of Biological Material

The following biological material has been deposited under the terms of the Budapest Treaty with the Agricultural Research Service Patent Culture Collection, Northern Regional Research Center, 1815 University Street, Peoria, Ill., 61604, and given the following accession number:

Deposit Accession Number Date of Deposit E. coli TOP10 (pEJG113) NRRL B-30695 Oct. 17, 2003

The strain has been deposited under conditions that assure that access to the culture will be available during the pendency of this patent application to one determined by the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks to be entitled thereto under 37 C.F.R. §1.14 and 35 U.S.C. §122. The deposit represents a substantially pure culture of the deposited strain. The deposit is available as required by foreign patent laws in countries wherein counterparts of the subject application, or its progeny are filed. However, it should be understood that the availability of a deposit does not constitute a license to practice the subject invention in derogation of patent rights granted by governmental action.

The invention described and claimed herein is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments herein disclosed, since these embodiments are intended as illustrations of several aspects of the invention. Any equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this invention. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. In the case of conflict, the present disclosure including definitions will control.

Various references are cited herein, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. 

1. A method for degrading a lignocellulosic material, comprising: treating the lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more cellulolytic enzymes in the presence of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of a secondary alcohol ethoxylate, fatty alcohol ethoxylate, and tridecyl ethoxylate, wherein the presence of the surfactant increases the degradation of the lignocellulosic material compared to the absence of the surfactant.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic material is selected from the group consisting of herbaceous material, agricultural residue, forestry residue, municipal solid waste, waste paper, and pulp and paper mill residue.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the lignocellulosic material is corn stover.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cellulolytic enzymes are selected from the group consisting of a cellulase, endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and beta-glucosidase.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating the lignocellulosic material with an effective amount of one or more enzymes selected from the group consisting of a hemicellulase, esterase, protease, laccase, peroxidase, or a mixture thereof.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the esterase is a lipase, phospholipase, cutinase, or a mixture thereof.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is a pretreatment process.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process (SSF).
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is in a hybrid hydrolysis and fermentation process (HHF).
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising recovering the degraded lignocellulosic material.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surfactant is a secondary alcohol ethoxylate.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surfactant is a fatty alcohol ethoxylate.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one surfactant is a tridecyl ethoxylate. 